Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 5 (1901).djvu/44

22 and many a retailer will buy one or more trunks of fish for his business requirements; but the mode of disposal is the same. The auctioneer, preceded by a man ringing a bell, mounts upon one of the fish-trunks, and shouts his ware: "Now, then, But buyers," "Roker buyers," "Lachet buyers," or as the case may be. The buyers crowd round, and amid jocular remarks, in which the seller does his part, trunk after trunk, piled with Turbot, Brill, Whiting, Plaice, Soles, Skate, and a dozen other kinds, are rapidly disposed of, whilst others are being as rapidly landed from fresh arrivals to take their place.

It is the wharf for trawl-fish which is the most attractive to the student of fishes, and I scarcely ever went there but I saw something of special interest. There were always vast quantities of flat-fish of various kinds, from costly Turbot, some very large, and almost equally costly Soles, to humble Plaice and Dabs; but the infinite variety in the tints and disposal of the colours and markings was very interesting. I am told that the salesmen are so experienced that they can tell at once by the appearance of the fish from what locality they were derived. Large numbers of Skate and Rays were there, from baby fish which figured among the refuse, to monsters, hideous in appearance. Laid by itself, as a "curiosity," on one occasion, I saw a fine Torpedo Ray (Torpedo nobiliana), which is a very rare fish with us. Raia batis was common enough, but I also saw two specimens of Raia oxyrhyncus, a rare fish here.

On the 20th a fine Porbeagle was brought in, which measured 7 ft. 10 in. long; this species, much to the annoyance of the fishermen, is occasionally entangled in the drift-nets, to which and the contained fish it does immense damage. Large numbers of the Mackerel and Herring show injuries inflicted by the various species of Dog-fish, but I saw very few of these pests landed; perhaps the fishermen kill them, and throw them back into the seas, as they are of no use to them.

A Porpoise made its appearance one morning; they are abundant enough; but I have never, to my surprise, seen or heard of a Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) being captured by any of our boats. This is singular, as Sir Thomas Browne knew this species, and there seems no reason why it should not occasionally pay us a visit.