16 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



coast was by no means encouraging: Mr. E. R. Cooper, of 

 Southwold, writing me on November 19th, stated that "none 

 were landed here worth talking about until last week, when 

 about five hundred bushels were landed at the harbour, about 

 one-fourth of the total catch." * The restrictions placed upon 

 the fishing did not allow the usual freedom to fishermen : the 

 Admiralty's order, may be of more than ordinary interest as 

 showing the dangers incidental in war time even to shallow 

 water fisherfolk : — " Board [Board of Agriculture and Fisheries] 

 are informed by Admiralty that Sprat fishing is permitted this 

 winter on condition that boats do not go either to the westward 

 or to the southward of the Mouse or use the Barrow Deep. 

 Please inform the fishermen." 



I never saw finer Sprats than have been exported for sale 

 this winter, or with less "muck," i.e. weeds, crustaceans, e.g. 

 Idotea, Gammarus, &c, nor had I fallen in with its peculiar 

 parasite Lerneonema sjprattae. 



On December 8th Mr. E. B. Cooper again wrote me as 

 follows : — " Spratting is going on very well here ; the total land- 

 ings for Southwold in November were over four thousand 

 bushels. On Sunday last (6th) one thousand six hundred and 

 forty bushels were landed here ; yesterday about one thousand 

 five hundred bushels. To-day the boats were coming in well 

 fished but too much wind to start again. [Sprats fish best on 

 still foggy nights.] The bay is alive with Sprats, which we 

 attribute to the southerly winds. The first fish train ran from 

 the new harbour branch on Sunday with eleven tons of Sprats, 

 and yesterday seventeen tons went from there . . . . a 21|- lb. 

 Cod has been taken from the Pleasure Pier, which is a record for 

 Southwold." 



On December 9th all the fish shops had their quantum of 

 Sprats on sale ; in some cases owing to the dearth of trawl-fish 

 they were the only fishes to be seen on the fish-slabs. 



From a report sent to the 'Angler's News' of December 12th 

 by Mr. S. W. Beynolds, forty-four tons of Sprats were sent to 

 London on December 6th, and thirty- four tons on the follow- 

 ing day. 



* Many of the boats land their catches on the beach, hence the varying 

 tonnages mentioned on December 6th and 7th. 



