18 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of whelking, crabbing, cockling, and such like. For 1912, of a 

 total weight for England and Wales of 55,103 cwt., 15,897 cwt. 

 were landed at Wells, and 10,216 cwt. at Sheringham. One 

 hundred boats are engaged in crabbing, and accounted during 

 the past season for nearly a million Edible Crabs {Cancer 

 pagurus). The gathering of Cockles by men and women is a 

 hard but interesting calling. Mussel culture is a thriving 

 industry, and is well looked after by Inspector Donnison. The 

 capture of Herrings, Mackerel, Soles, Plaice, Brill, and Salmon- 

 Trout is in a smaller way pursued ; whilst the quaint occupation 

 of " worming" is made remunerative. The Lugworm (Arenicola 

 marina) is pursued by " worm -diggers," who, armed with fork 

 and basket, go to the wet sands at low water and search for 

 their casts and deftly grub them out, a quick hand looking to 

 bag a thousand under normal circumstances. These worms are 

 great favourites with sea-anglers all over the eastern seaboard, 

 and find a ready sale. There can be no doubt that Cods and 

 other fishes prefer them to any other bait. 



Norfolk Seals. — I have to thank that capable and enthusiastic 

 officer Captain Donnison, the Eastern Sea Fisheries Inspector, 

 for his September Report, which equals in biological and 

 statistical interest any of its predecessors. But that part of 

 particular interest to myself deals with the Common Seal (Phoca 

 vitulina), that seems to have firmly established itself upon the 

 maze of sandbanks in the Wash. 



One would greatly wish to know when the Seal became what 

 might be described as a settler in this country. Sir Thomas 

 Browne (1605-1682) refers to it as " the Vitulus marinus sea- 

 calf or seale wch is often taken sleeping on the shoare " ; and 

 again as "no raritie upon the coast of Norfolk at lowe water. I 

 have knowne them taken asleep vnder the cliffes. diuers have 

 been brought vnto mee. our seale is different from the Medi- 

 terannean Seale." Lubbock ('Fauna of Norfolk,' 1848) adds 

 nothing to Browne's short notes; nor does Mr. T. Southwell in 

 his second edition of ' The Fauna ' (1879). In his ' Seals and 

 W 7 hales of the British Seas,' Mr. Southwell adds but little, dis- 

 missing with the merest paragraph its status on this coast as 

 follows : — " In the great estuary between the Norfolk and Lin- 

 colnshire coasts, called the ' Wash,' this species frequents the 



