FISH-NOTES FROM QBE AT YARMOUTH. 7 



He had also captured several small Bass of some half-pound 

 weight each. 



May 4th. — A 3-inch Black Sea-Bream (Cantharus lineatus) 

 was brought me by a shrimper. A few faint dusky lines 

 were visible on either side. This species is rare in this 

 locality. None of the Sea-Breams are in any repute for food 

 in this neighbourhood, and none are ever sent here with the 

 trawl fish. 



Mr. Thos. C. Bising, of Lowestoft, wrote me on April 21st 

 to the effect that some fishermen draw-netting at Corton (half- 

 way between Yarmouth and Lowestoft) captured some dozen 

 Bass running up to 10 lb. in weight. "In view of the 

 comparatively large numbers of small Bass taken here by 

 anglers during the past season, one might almost wonder 

 if this sportive fish is likely to take up a residence in our 

 neighbourhood." 



May 12th. — A very nice example of the Boar-Fish (Capros 

 aper) was sent me which had been captured in the neighbourhood 

 of the Wash. 



Found an exceedingly large female Three-spined Stickleback 

 (Gasterosteus aculeatus var. semi-armatus) lying dead in a ditch 

 near my houseboat. The water is always more or less salty, as 

 the tidal water filters through the sluice, and the dense vegeta- 

 tion must make swimming a matter of some difficulty. To 

 account for this fish's death, I can but make conjecture that it 

 could not find a mate and nest and the excitement necessary to 

 a complete and due disposal of its ova. I have occasionally 

 found other females dead packed with mature eggs. 



On May 10th when "opening" a bloater for grilling I noticed 

 the Herring's stomach somewhat unduly distended : on emptying 

 it into a tube of spirits, and shaking it gently, the contents 

 dissolved themselves into a number of small crustaceans — 

 Hyperia, probably Lestrigonus exulans (Kroyer), the dark heads 

 seeming all eyes. A few minute Gammariis, somewhat digested, 

 were also to be distinguished. 



May 27th. — Scribbled Mackerel {Scomber scriptus), a 12- 

 inch example, came to hand to-day. Fish of this variety (?), 

 several of which I have seen, never exceed and seldom attain 

 a length of 15 inches. It contained a fairly well-developed 



