398 THE ZOOLOGIST 



it was the dorsal fin and tail-fin of Basking Shark which he had seen ; 

 and we satisfied ourselves by comparing it with the illustration in 

 Lydekker's ' Eoyal Natural History ' of that fish. In his journal, 

 Mr. Pedder says : — " On July 28th we weighed anchor, touched at 

 Kyleahin again for letters and some supplies, and then set sail for 

 Torridon ; wind light and variable. In the Sound of Eaasay, two or 

 three Whales were blowing about half a mile away from us towards the 

 entrance of Loch Broom. One of them must have been a huge crea- 

 ture, for, after watching a great length of his back rise and disappear, 

 and upon which was a very big fin, we came to the conclusion that 

 the fin stood up from the back at least six feet. Someone aboard a 

 steamer making for the Kyle, possibly much nearer to the beast, fired 

 a shot from a gun at it ; but the great fin kept coming up at intervals 

 as before until we were out of sight — about 2.30 p.m., between Crowlin 

 Islands, Longay, and Scalpay." I consider Lydekker's illustration 

 settles the question of identity as belonging to a Basking Shark. — 

 J. A. Harvie-Brown. 



Thresher Shark (Alopecias vulpes). — A specimen of this singular 

 fish, now being preserved for the Norwich Castle Museum, was taken in 

 the nets off Hasborough, on the Norfolk coast, on the 26th September 

 last, and brought into Cromer. It measured 10 ft. 8 in. total length. 

 This Shark has been met with on the Norfolk and Suffolk coast several 

 times, generally about the commencement of the Herring season. The 

 earliest mention of the species is, I believe, by Dr. Cains, who described 

 a specimen stranded near Lowestoft in February, 1570. A second is 

 recorded by Mr. Gunn as having been captured on July 4th, 1867 ; 

 this measured 14 ft. 5 in. in all, 7 ft. 4 in. of which consisted of the 

 whip-like upper lobe of the caudal fin. Others were taken off Lowestoft 

 on Sept. 28th, 1879, and on Oct. 22nd, 1881, in the same locality ; the 

 latter measured 12 ft. 10 in., 6 ft. 4 in. of which consisted of the tail. 

 In the Hasborough specimen the curious notch at the base of the caudal 

 fin, which is not shown in Mr. Day's figure, was very conspicuous. — 

 Thomas Southwell (Norwich). 



