130 
JOTJENAL OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
state even on the trees it most affects in other districts, such as 
the apple, hawthorn, some poplars, &c. It exists I know about 
Plymouth in some gardens and pleasure grounds where it has been 
introduced, but I have never met with a reliable account of its 
growing spontaneously anywhere in "West Devon or Cornwall. 
Should however anyone who may read this succeed in finding 
the Plymouth oak with its mistletoe, and consequently prove that 
Mr. Lees was right and that I am wrong, I feel certain the mem- 
bers of the Plymouth Institution would gladly see every particular 
he could supply respecting the botanical curiosity inserted in the 
"Transactions" of their Society. 
T, E. Archer Briggs. 
^, Portland Villas, Ph/mouth, 
October 13th, mO. 
To the Editor of the Journal of the Plymouth Institution. 
Sir, — In the remarks on the Boar Pish in Land and Water last 
week, it was stated that fish were often rare only from our want of 
knowledge of their habitat. 
The same may be said of the Silvery Hairtail, — a fish once so 
rare that the late J". Couch, Esq., in obtaining specimens for his 
valuable work, History of British Pishes," could only get two 
broken parts, which had been cast on our shores in storms, in order 
to get a whole figure. This fish is now, comparatively speaking, 
plentiful about six miles off Plymouth. It gets entangled in the 
towing -nets, and, considering the smallness of the herring-mesh 
as compared with the head of the Hairtail, competent judges 
state, that if a net were used capable of enclosing its head, 
quantities of these silvery creatures could be caught. As it 
is about twenty specimens have been landed, and I hope to send 
you one for your museum. 
I am, yours truly, 
Mattthew Dunn. 
Mevagissey, Dec. 8th, 1870. 
[Mr. Dunn also informs us that he has within this last year 
taken two specimens of the Electric Ray.] 
