454 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Flounders coloured on both sides are by no means rare — all- 

 white Flounders are rare. One was shown me on October 6th, 

 seven inches in length ; there was only a faint narrow brown 

 ring around each eye. The upper surface was entirely devoid of 

 spiny excrescences, and as smooth as porcelain. 



My best find for the year was Pelamys sarda. When stroll- 

 ing to the harbour-mouth on the afternoon of October 30th — a 

 wild dreary day, with a keen wind from the north-east, and with 

 a great quantity of wreckage strewn along the shore — I noticed 

 among other half-putrid fishes a Mackerel-like specimen from 

 whose sides all the skin, save a little near the back, had been 

 abraded by sea-water and the surf that had tumbled it to the 

 tide-mark. I noticed at once its greater girth around the 

 middle, and suspected it to be a Bonito of some sort, which 



)tt s^r 



Pelamys sarda. 



impression was strengthened by the rows of pronounced teeth, 

 which were much larger and more conspicuous than in the 

 Mackerel. I regretted having left my knife at home ; and also 

 the want of some newspaper to wrap it in. Eoughly measuring 

 it at seventeen inches, I left it. My rest at night was much dis- 

 turbed by my disappointment at leaving it behind, and I was up 

 before daylight on the following morning, when I hurriedly 

 trudged to the harbour-mouth, where I was fortunate in re- 

 discovering it just before the tide had reached it. The Hooded 

 Crows had already been at it, apparently intending to finish the 

 disembowelling they had begun on the previous day. I whipped 

 out a table-knife with which I had armed myself, and was soon 

 on my homeward journey with the head in my pocket. On 

 reaching home I washed and put it into formalin, despatching 

 it at night to Dr. Boulenger, who very kindly at once confirmed 



