FISH-NOTES FROM GREAT YARMOUTH. 15 



majority of our fishermen are on war service in some form or 

 other, and practically all the young men have gone." 



Mr. Cooper mentions the capture of four five- bearded Eockling 

 (Motella mustela) by rod ; this species has been somewhat 

 frequently hooked of late. " A female Gemmeous Dragonet or 

 Skulpin (Callionymus lyra) and several Unctuous Suckers 

 (Liparis vulgaris) in the fish-trawls." Sand Dabs (Pleuronectes 

 limanda) were numerous in the Bay during the summer months. 

 He describes the early winter sea-angling for Whitings and 

 Codlings as " very poor, and no big fish." 



Large Bream. — A large Bream (Abramis brama) was caught 

 in the Wensum, four miles from Norwich, on December 5th, and 

 was exhibited in Mr. B. Marsham's tackle-shop window, in the 

 city, by whom it was afterwards sent to the Fish Department of 

 the British (Natural History) Museum. Mr. C. Tate Began, on an 

 examination of the scales, suggested its age at about fifteen years. 

 A well-known angling expert describes the fish as "a perfect 

 dream." , The fish, which had succumbed to the wiles of a paste bait, 

 weighed 7 lb. 14|- oz. Lubbock (' Fauna of Norfolk ') described a 

 Bream of 5 lb. as "a very large one." An example was recorded 

 by the late Mr. J. H. Gurney, senr., taken at Cossey, near Norwich, 

 many years ago, as weighing 7 lb. 1 oz., with a length of 25£ in. ; 

 depth, 8^ in. The late Dr. Norman, in the seventies, caught one 

 weighing 8 lb. 12 oz. ; and the late Dr. John Lowe (Norfolk 

 Nats'. ' Trans. ,' 1884) records a Bream of 11^ lb. taken at Beeston 

 Begis on June 17th, 1879, and another at Thorpe, near Norwich, 

 on the 23rd, weighing 8f lb. It is probable this last is identical 

 with that taken by Dr. Norman, but I have not been able to 

 verify this opinion, although Dr. Day (' British Fishes') suggests 

 it. The 11^ pounder was estimated by Day to be twenty-six 

 years old, but Seeley (' British Fresh Water Fishes ') places it at 

 fifty years. 



Writing to me on February 7th Dr. Laver, of Colchester, thus 

 refers to Sprats used as manure: "Sprats always interest me, 

 even when sold for manure. ... It was the custom for our 

 [Essex] stow-boat men to go out and stay until they got a large 

 number, the small quantity not paying at the low price they 

 fetched. Of course, the first caught became bad, and were fit 

 for nothing but manure. After prices went up it paid to come 



