SOME FISH-NOTES FROM GREAT YARMOUTH. 443 



An Eel-catcher, who had netted a number of Eels in a ditch 

 on the Breydon marshes, sent me, on May 28th, what he con- 

 sidered to be the ovary of a large example he had taken. It 

 was, however, only the stomach of the fish, crammed with eggs 

 of the Three-spined Stickleback that had been most industriously 

 collected by the unfortunate fish. 



A fish answering to Willoughby's Bed Mullet {Mullus barbatus) 

 was exposed for sale with a number of the Surmullet on June 6th. 

 They had been sent from the west coast. I have never yet met 

 with a locally captured example. 



On June 8th I had a small Rose Perch (Scorpcena dactyloptera) , 

 7g- in. in length, brought me by a shrimper ; and on July 4th a 

 hybrid Turbot-Brill, about three pounds in weight, came to my 

 notice. 



I regret that "draw-netting" (seine-netting) has here become 

 yearly less pursued ; a few men in the finer months occasionally 

 do a little of it, but no purposeful following of it obtains. The 

 catches having proved so unremunerative seems to be the cause 

 of this. I saw a draw-net hauled in on July 22nd by some 

 beachmen and sportive visitors. The "catch" was of small 

 account, only a few edible species being taken. I enumerated 

 the following species : — Fifteen-spined Stickleback, Yellow Goby, 

 Atherine, Greater Sand-launce, Smelt, Eel, Pollack, Flounder, 

 Skate, Herring, Five-bearded Ptockling, Viviparous Blenny. They 

 were mostly very immature examples. 



A strange fatality overtook thousands of Eels, many of them 

 very fine ones, during the exceedingly hot weather that prevailed 

 in the latter half of July. Their decaying corpses bestrewed the 

 river sides, and became entangled among the Broad-side reeds, 

 presenting a most unsightly exhibition. Various causes were 

 assigned — the pollution of the rivers by sewage matter, and the 

 influx of carbolic acid from the drains ; but these agents would 

 not have been responsible for the mischief done in the Broads. 

 I think the abnormally heated mud and consequent excessive 

 decay and quick decomposition of aquatic vegetation had not a 

 little to do with the "turning up" of these most sensitive fish. 

 The Eel-catching on Breydon, and in the neighbourhood gener- 

 ally, has been a very poor one for the local fraternity. 



The most remarkable " sport " I have yet obtained was a 



2 m 2 



