Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 1 (1897).djvu/581

Rh once again. It was kept awhile as a novelty by some cab-drivers in a pan of salt-water in their shelter ('Zoologist,' ante, p. 339).

Sciæna aquila. Maigre. A.—Has been met with in the autumnal Herring season. One scaling 75 lb. taken on Oct. 23rd, 1875; length, 4 ft. 9 in. A specimen taken off Sheringham in 1841 is in the Norwich Museum. Another cast ashore at Aldborough, in Suffolk, Aug. 30th, 1868; length, 5 ft.; weight, 84 lb.

Scomber scomber. Mackerel. C.—An important Mackerel fishery was carried on here in May and June until the end of the sixties, when the species, possibly on account of the incursions of trawlers into its feeding grounds, fell off to unremunerative numbers. Strangely enough, it has put in an appearance contemporary with the Herrings, and in September immense "takes" are sometimes made. Twenty "lasts" were landed on the fishwharf on Sept. 25th, 1897, and on Oct. 9th one boat alone had as many as two "lasts," or 24,000 fish. Some of the drifters go out on purpose for the Mackerel. A specimen taken in November, 1881, scaled 2¾ lb.; length, 20 in.; girth, 10½ in. An example shown me on June 15th, 1897, was entirely minus the Mackerel markings on its back, being of a whole-coloured deep blue, like an immature Pollack ('Zoologist,' ante, p. 340).

(?)*Scomber scriptus. Scribbled Mackerel. R.R.—[This by some authorities is referred to as a variety of S. scomber. The first recorded county specimen I saw in the flesh at a meeting of the Norwich Naturalists' Society in September, 1894. Since then I have kept a look-out for the species, and have met with it as follows:—A twelve-inch example, June 25th, 1895; the first Yarmouth record. It is now in the Glasgow Museum. Another, Dec. 9th, 1895; also on Sept. 26th, 1896—length, 18 in.; Oct. 15th, 1896, I5½ in.; and three or four others since.]

S. thynnus. Tunny. A.—"Small specimens not infrequently taken during the Mackerel fishery" (Pagets). An example weighing 224 lb. was taken on Oct. 6th, 1870; length, 6 ft. 9 in.; girth, 4 ft. 4 in.

Auxis rochei. Plain Bonito. A.—In June, 1839, two examples were taken off Yarmouth, and came into Mr. Yarrell's possession (Yarrell's 'British Fishes,' vol. i. p. 160). Mr. Gunn, of Norwich, records a third taken off Yarmouth, now in Cam-