Page:VCH Norfolk 1.djvu/236

 A HISTORY OF NORFOLK Mr. Southwell writes, November 29th, 1876: 'A fine tunny was cast ashore at Bacton on the 24th inst. It was in an exhausted state, but not dead. Yesterday I saw it in Norwich. It is a beautiful fish, measuring 9 feet 4 inches in length ' {Zoologist, 1877). 32. Blackfish. Centrolophus pompilus, Linn. ' A living specimen was found cast up on the beach at Sea Palling, after the severe north-east gales, about March 27th, 1898 ; seen by me shortly after.' — T. S. 33. Ray's Bream. Brama rail, Bl. 'Generally found left by the tide after heavy weather.' — T. S.^ Mr. L'Estrange records one which was picked up oflF Hunstanton on October 12th, 1892. It weighed 5 lb. 140Z., and measured 23^ inches. Another specimen was found by Mr. Patterson near Yarmouth, November 23rd, 1894, of about the same length ; and a third on October 29th, 1895. 34. Opah. Lampris luna, Linn. ' A magnificent specimen found on the breakers (Yarmouth), November, 1828 ; another, December 24th, 1823.' — Paget. Couch mentions another which was caught on the Norfolk coast, near Hunstanton, in 1839 [British Fishes, vol. ii. p. 134). This is most probably the same which is now in the Wisbeach Museum. ' A specimen obtained at Eccles, July 6th, 1844, is in the Norwich Museum ; weight, 4 or 5 stone.' — y. H. G. [Zoologist, p. 679). 'One taken at Yarmouth, October 17th, 1891 ; length 38 inches; weight, 51 lb.' — A. P. [Trans. Norf. and Nor. Nat. Soc, vol. v. P- 325)- ' The Norfolk Remembrancer, under date April 30th, i8io, p. 113, says: "A very rare and curious fish called the opah, or king fish, found on Mundesley beach ! " ' — T. S. 35. Swordfish. Xiphias gladius, Linn. In August, 1865, a specimen measuring from tip to tip 10 feet 2 inches was brought to me by some Lynn fishermen, who had found it stranded about four miles below Lynn. There was no wound to account for its death, and it had evidently been left by the receding tide.^ My friend. Professor 1 'Mr. Gurney mentions one taken at Yar- mouth, and the Rev. E. Dowell another taken at the same place.' — Zoologist, 1851, p. 3,058. 53. Distoma clavotum ; 54. /Iscaris incurva. These Cobbold, who examined it with me, dis- covered in it several species of Entozoa new to science. In the stomach there were, besides some small fish, the remains of a crab and starfishes. Sir T. Browne mentions one with a sword a yard and a half long, taken by being entangled with herring-nets at Yar- mouth. 'On October 31st, 1861, a specimen 9 feet 6 inches, including the sword, which measured 3 feet, was observed in shallow water at Mundesley, and captured by a noose being passed over its tail. The head is in the Norwich Museum. I tasted its flesh and found it very palatable.' — y. H. G. The sword of one found in the Wash is now in the Wisbeach Museum. ' A swordfish, taken at Hunstanton in 1 86 1, is now preserved in the collection at Hunstanton Hall.'— r. 5. In the Lynn Advertiser, Jnly 1 8th, 1879, there is a notice of one caught in a mackerel net at Sherringham by Matthew Scotter. It measured 9 feet 6 inches. Mr. Southwell mentions another of the same size, which was stranded on the beach at Palling, October 30th, 1881 ; one was taken off Wolferton Creek, October 30th, 1883, which measured 5 feet 3 inches, and the sword 3 feet 2 inches ; and one at Burnham Overy, Novem- ber 13th, 1882, which measured 10 feet long and weighed 400 lb. 36. Deal-fish. Trachypterus arcticus, Brtinn. The first Norfolk specimen of this rare and singular fish was seen at Cole's, naturalist, Norwich, by Mr. Southwell, from whom I received the following note of its capture : ' It was taken in a drift-net by the Butterjiy, Wells, W. J. Hardman, October 8th, 1879. It measures 53 inches long, 10 inches deep; thickness about i inch. After being pur- chased by Mr. T. J. Mann, of Bishop's Stortford, and exhibited at the Norwich Fisheries Exhibition, it was presented by that gentleman to the Norwich Museum, where it now is.' Mr. Southwell's interesting account of this fish is published in the Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society. 37. Greater Weever. Trachinus draco, Liinn. Norfolk Estuary. — R. E. Yarmouth. — Paget. Occasionally on the Norfolk coast. — y. H. G. parasites were obtained at Lynn by Dr. John Lowe and myself when dissecting a Xiphias gladius cap- tured off the Norfolk coast in 1865.' — The late Prof. T. S. Cobbold (International Fisheries Exhibi- tion). 204
 * Swordfish: 'No. 52. Tetrarhynchus (larva);