452 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



occurred in March. On the 21st the shrimpers netted hundreds, 

 one man on the 22nd having a "maund" (a fish-basket) full of 

 them. They were in size little longer than a man's hand. 



Ballan Wrasse (Labrus maculatus) : A small example taken 

 on April 11th. 



On April 21st I saw a Smeared Dab (P. microcephalus) , about 

 10 1 in. in length, with the fins surrounding it perfectly white, 

 including the tail. The shopman obliged me by turning over 

 some others on the slab, and we discovered two more almost 

 identical in the peculiarities which characterised the first. I 

 have no doubt they were varieties from the same brood, all being 

 of exactly the same dimensions, and taken simultaneously. I 

 have noticed this tendency to similarity in other instances, one 

 curious "sport" having been accompanied by undoubted rela- 

 tives. 



A Buffe (Acerina vulgaris), drawn down-river on an ebb-tide, 

 was taken alive on Breydon on May 5th. 



Obtained a double Flounder (coloured on both sides) on 

 May 20th. 



The Lamprey {Petromyzon marinus), I have no doubt, is an 

 annual visitant to our Norfolk and Suffolk rivers, ascending 

 for the purpose of spawning. It does not often come under 

 notice, although on rare occasions some numbers have been 

 recorded. On May 23rd a fine female was taken in a small trawl- 

 net at the entrance of Breydon. I cooked this fish, but found 

 the flesh dry and very beef-like in texture, and of a flavour that 

 might have been a combination of Salmon and Skate. The eggs, 

 which were imbedded in a blue-coloured tissue, were small and 

 exceedingly numerous. Another was taken on the 24th, and two 

 others subsequently. Great local prejudice exists with regard to 

 the use of this fish as food. 



Day ('British Fishes') speaks of two varieties of the Cod — 

 the dark sort, taken off the Dogger, and the yellower kind, met 

 with off the north of Scotland. I saw, in May, an almost 

 black example with a light lateral line ; the head and body 

 seemed more slenderly built than in the typical Cod. I am 

 much inclined to regard this fish as a hybrid between the Cod 

 and Cole-fish, but it was too large an example to purchase for 

 purposes of farther investigation. 



