2 74 W. E. CLARKE: THE ' PINKY ' OF THE YORKSHIRE ESK. 



No one who knew him would doubt his bona fides, but inebriety became 

 his great faihng latterly, and I have known him make much more 

 obvious mistakes than the suggested one of labelling a Calamagrostis 

 sirida 2i^^ lanceolafa^ v^h^n he knew the latter had often been gathered 

 by him at Castle Howard. I feel confident from my knowledge of 

 his quondam quick eye and acuteness in the field, that if he had 

 gathered C. sirida at Castle Howard, in his earlier days especially, 

 he would at once have said ' tliis is something new to me,' off type, 

 or what not, and at once have investigated the matter. Mr. Arthur 

 Bennett, too, in a communication just received, says that all the 

 recently-gathered Calamagrostis from Castle Howard which he has 

 seen is C. lanceolata only. 



THE 'PINKY' OR ' SCALEY ' OF THE 

 YORKSHIRE ESK. 



W. EAGLE CLARKE, F. L. S. 



This fish is caught in the tidal water-way of the river Esk, between 

 Whitby and Ruswarp (about three miles above Whitby), and is 

 locally known both as the ' Pinky,' from the rich pink colour of its 

 flesh, and the ' Scaley,' from the beautiful bright appearance of the 

 scales, which are devoid of spots. It is chiefly taken during the 

 months of February, March, and April, and the number captured 

 each season varies considerably ; this season Mr. Stephenson tells 

 me that he has only heard of two instances — on the 21st of April 

 and on the loth of July. Since, however, as many as six of these 

 salmonoids have been caught in the month of October, it is supposed 

 by some that the fish remains in the river throughout the year. In 

 weight they vary from a quarter of a pound to a pound. The general 

 impression among the local anglers is that it is a Sea Trout of the 

 second season — the absence of milt or roe in all the captured 

 specimens being considered proof that it is an immature fish. 



The fish alluded to as captured on the 21st of April was kindly 

 forwarded to the writer, who submitted it to Dr. Day, the well-known 

 author of the ' History of British and Irish Fishes,' for determination. 

 Dr. Day reports that it is young Salmon Trout {Sahno irutta), twelve 

 inches long and having 43 caecal appendages ; but since it had to be 

 put in spirit to arrest decay in transit it was not considered by him a 

 suitable specimen from which to give a detailed description, and he 

 requests that another specimen packed in ice may be sent to him for 

 that purpose. The writer begs to thank Mr. Thomas Stephenson, 

 of Whitby, Dr. Day, and the Rev. E. H. Smart for their contributions 

 towards this note. 



Naturalist, 



