Report of the Committee on Marine Zoology. 241 
Eoyal Society of Edinburgh, and in the Magazine of Zoo- 
logy and Botany," under the name of MonocTiirus minutus. 
He does not include it in his " Fishes of the Firth of Forth," 
and the Committee are not aware of its having before been 
obtained there ; but from the occurrence of so many speci- 
mens in one day, it would seem to be not very rare. Some 
of the specimens were brought home alive, and one of them 
lived for nearly three months, until killed by the recent 
severe cold. It was very sluggish, remaining always at the 
bottom of the aquarium, and seldom moving unless disturbed. 
When fishing with the seine net along the shore eastward 
of Leith, a number of species were taken, which will give 
some idea of the fishes which occur on this limited portion 
of the coast. The most abundant fish, of course, by far, is the 
mud flounder, Platessa Jlesus, along with which were always 
a considerable number of plaice, Platessa vulgaris^ and a few 
salt water flounders, P. limanda, the proportion of the latter 
being very small to the other two. One or two specimens 
of the common sole occurred during the season, and a single 
specimen of the brill, BJiomhus vulgaris. Numbers of small 
thornbacks, Baia clavata, occurred along with these on the 
sandy portions of the shore, mingled with shoals of young 
Triglce. The sting fish, Traehinus vipera^ the armed bull- 
head, As'pidopliorus cataphr actus, and the one-spotted goby, 
Gohius imipunctatus, v/ere in abundance in spots where 
much ulva and enteromorpha grew. Two or three specimens 
of the common pipe fish, Syngnatlius acus, occurred along 
with these, and a considerable number of the green cod, 
Merlangus virens. A few specimens of the viviparous blenny 
and five-bearded rockling also occurred, and a single speci- 
men of the sordid dragouet, Callionymus dracunculus, and 
one of the short spined cottus, Coitus scorpius. The spotted 
gunnel fish, 3Iuraenoides guttata, was not scarce in pools 
among the Black Eocks, and proves a most admirable fish 
for the aquarium, living long, and becoming quite tame 
when fed with small earth worms. Two small salmon trout 
(Salmo trutta) were caught during the season, each about 
two pounds in weight, one close to the Black Rocks, and the 
other near Portobello. 
