﻿230 
  

  

  THE 
  VERTEBKATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  of 
  Himtly's 
  fishwoman. 
  It 
  measured 
  three 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  

   nine 
  inches 
  in 
  breadth, 
  and 
  one 
  inch 
  thick 
  in 
  the 
  middle." 
  

   (MS. 
  note, 
  with 
  water-colour 
  drawing 
  of 
  the 
  fish, 
  leaving 
  

   no 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  identity.) 
  The 
  note 
  and 
  drawing 
  are 
  in 
  my 
  

   possession. 
  

  

  " 
  One 
  obtained 
  at 
  Burghead 
  in 
  1847, 
  three 
  feet 
  long." 
  

   (Gordon, 
  who, 
  in 
  the 
  Zoologist, 
  p. 
  3460, 
  mentions 
  two 
  others.) 
  

   " 
  One 
  at 
  Findhorn." 
  (St. 
  John.) 
  "One 
  in 
  the 
  Firth 
  of 
  Forth, 
  

   1849." 
  (Day.) 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Presentation 
  Book 
  of 
  Montrose 
  Museum 
  for 
  1849 
  is 
  

   the 
  following 
  : 
  " 
  Vaagmaer 
  or 
  Deal 
  Fish 
  — 
  This 
  rare 
  fish 
  was 
  so 
  

   much 
  damaged 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  unfit 
  for 
  preservation 
  ; 
  eight 
  feet 
  two 
  

   inches 
  long, 
  eleven 
  inches 
  broad, 
  and 
  two 
  and 
  one-half 
  inches 
  

   thick; 
  sent 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Yarrell." 
  It 
  is 
  doubtful, 
  however, 
  if 
  the 
  fish 
  

   referred 
  to 
  was 
  a 
  Vaagmar. 
  

  

  "April, 
  1872, 
  one, 
  five 
  feet 
  ten 
  and 
  one-half 
  inches 
  long, 
  

   was 
  captured 
  in 
  the 
  stake-nets 
  at 
  Montrose, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  

   the 
  Museum." 
  (Day.) 
  Since 
  allowed 
  to 
  go 
  to 
  decay. 
  

  

  In 
  August, 
  1888, 
  one 
  was 
  found 
  cast 
  upon 
  the 
  beach 
  by 
  the 
  

   salmon-fishers 
  at 
  Mennie, 
  Aberdeenshire. 
  It 
  was 
  about 
  four 
  

   feet 
  long 
  and 
  nine 
  inches 
  broad. 
  Being 
  somewhat 
  decom- 
  

   posed 
  when 
  found, 
  it 
  was 
  allowed 
  to 
  decay. 
  Gordon, 
  in 
  his 
  

   Fauna 
  of 
  Moray, 
  mentions 
  one 
  as 
  having 
  "been 
  obtained 
  at 
  

   Burghead 
  in 
  1847, 
  three 
  feet 
  long 
  — 
  (Mr. 
  Martin) 
  — 
  and 
  one 
  at 
  

   Findhorn 
  — 
  (Mr. 
  St. 
  John)." 
  One 
  was 
  reported 
  by 
  Edward 
  

   in 
  the 
  Aberdeen 
  Evening 
  Express, 
  on 
  April 
  10th, 
  1879, 
  as 
  having 
  

   been 
  caught 
  at 
  Buckie 
  that 
  month. 
  

  

  Genus 
  REGALECUS, 
  Ascanius. 
  

   Regalecus 
  banksii, 
  Yarrell. 
  Banks' 
  Oar 
  Fish. 
  

  

  A 
  specimen 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  was 
  cast 
  ashore 
  near 
  Port- 
  

   gordon, 
  and 
  examined 
  by 
  Mr. 
  James 
  Hoy, 
  November 
  12th, 
  

   1821, 
  as 
  reported 
  by 
  Fleming, 
  British 
  Animals, 
  p. 
  205. 
  Drs. 
  

   Gordon 
  and 
  Day 
  put 
  the 
  date 
  as 
  November, 
  1812. 
  

  

  "March, 
  1844, 
  an 
  example, 
  twelve 
  feet 
  long, 
  was 
  cast 
  

   ashore 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Crovie, 
  near 
  Macduff." 
  (Martin 
  and 
  

   Gordon.) 
  The 
  occurrence 
  of 
  an 
  Oar 
  Fish 
  was 
  reported 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Peach 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Couch. 
  It 
  was 
  obtained 
  at 
  Keiss, 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  

   from 
  Wick." 
  It 
  " 
  measured 
  fifteen 
  feet 
  and 
  about 
  one-half 
  in 
  

  

  