NATURAL HISTORY. 
Bewick, therefore, is probably correct in his assertion—that it is heard till the grass is cut, or, in 
other words, till the bird is deprived of shelter. 
Squatarola cinerea (Tringa cinerea; Linn.); Grey Plover—Large flocks are sometimes 
seen in the latter end of September. 
Charadrius Hiatacula ; Ringed Plover.—Common; frequenting the pebbly shores of Lough 
Foyle. 
Pisces (Fishes.) 
Being arrived at the next great class of the Animal Kingdom, the peculiar position of the 
parish in reference to the waters of the Foyle, both lough and river, should arrest attention. 
It is in such situations (estuaries,)—and here especially, where river, lake, and sea combine— 
that fishes, varying in their ordinary habits and places of abode, may be expected to congregate 
together, either drawn by the impulse of nature to a more quiet region for the deposition of their 
eggs, or spawn, or led by a similar instinct to the common rendezvous—that they may prey 
upon others of less size and strength. To facilitate inquiry into a subject of such curious spe¬ 
culation, a list will here be given of those fishes alone, which are taken in or above the salmon 
nets of Culmore, on Lough Foyle—that is to say within 5 miles of Derry—a little below the 
junction of the river and lake, and about 20 miles from the main ocean. The time of experi¬ 
ment also has been short—not exceeding a month—and the list itself will be continued, on 
the same principle, in the next parish. To facilitate comparison, the arrangement of Fleming 
is in this class adopted—the work containing it being easy of access, and in popular use. 
Cartilaginous. 
Scyllium stellare (Squalus stellaris, Linn, and Penn.); Spotted Dog-fish.—In the 
application of the synonymes and history of this fish, there is much confusion. Pennant 
describes two species—the Spotted, Squalus canicula, (Linn.), and the Lesser Spotted, Squalus 
catulus, (Linn.), —considering the Catulus maximus of Willoughby ( Squalus stellaris, 
Linn.), or “ Le Squale Rockier” of Lacepede, a mere variety of S. canicula of larger size. It 
is singular that in this arrangement ho makes no allusion to the reasoning of Lacepede, who 
has totally reversed the order of separation. That writer (Hist. Nat. des Poissons —Tome 1. 223), 
after remarking on the supposed analogy between sharks and birds of prey, exhibited in the 
superior size of the female, thus expresses himself:— C’est principalement dans I'espece du 
squale roussette que se montre cette inegalite de dimensions entre le mdle et la femelle. Elle 
y est meme assez grande pour que plusieurs auteurs anciens et plusieurs naturalistes modernes 
les aient consideres comme formant deux especes distinctes, dont on anomme une le grand chat 
de mer ou chien marin (canicula vel catulus major), et l’autre le petit chat de mer ou petit chien 
marin (canicula vel catulus minor).” He therefore advocates the union of S. canicula and £. 
catulus, and in his next article recognizes Catulus maximus (S. stellaris), as a distinct species, 
under the name “ Le Squale Rockier.” —Again, Cuvier (Regne Animal, Tome 2.) admits 
two species, but places the line of separation in a still different position, making S. canicula a 
synonyme of his “ Grande Roussette,” and S. catulus, and S. stellaris, synonymes of “ La 
Petite Roussette" —to which he also adds Lacepede’s name “ Le Rockier,” —thus uniting 
the species in size supposed to be the smallest, with that considered by Pennant and 
Lacepede to be the largest. He also cites the plate given by Lacepede for “ Le Rockier” 
as “ La Grande Roussette,” and vice versd. 
Fleming also desoribes two species, but,, overlooking Lacepede’s description of “ Le 
Squale Rockier,” quotes him as authority for uniting these two species into one. Such, how¬ 
ever, was not the meaning of Lacepede, who contended against three, and not against two 
species: his words, in describing “ Le Rockier,” are:—“ Ce squale a ete souvent confondu 
avec le mdle ou la femelle de la roussette, que Von a pris pour le mdle ou la femelle du 
rockier.” This curious confusion in terms will be rendered intelligible by the following sum¬ 
mary :— 
PENNANT. 
1st Species. 
Catulus major. 
Squalus Canicula. 
Le Squale Roussette. 
2nd Species. 
Catulus minor. 
Squalus Catulus. 
Le Squale Roussette . 
Catulus maximus. 
Squalus stellaris. 
Le Squale Rochier. 
E 
