A HISTORY OF ESSEX 12. Red Gurnard. Trig/a cum/us, Linn. Sometimes frequent on the coasts, at others it is rare or entirely absent for several seasons in succession. 13. Tubfish or Sapphirine Gurnard. Trigla hirundo, Linn. This gaily coloured fish is occasionally taken in all the Essex estuaries. 14. Piper. Trigla lyra, Linn. Dale (loc. cit.) says, ' This was caught near Harwich.' !$ Pogge. Agonus cataphractus, Linn. This curious fish is very frequently taken in the shrimp nets, and small ones may be often seen amongst the boiled shrimps. Yar- rell says (British Fishes, i. 71), on the eastern coast it is very plentiful.' 1 6. Lump-sucker. Cyclopterus lumpus, Linn. Is frequently caught on the coast and in the mouths of the rivers. 1 7. Sea Snail. Lifaris vulgaris, Flem. This is very common, and frequently taken in shrimp and eel trawls. It is a very vari- able fish, some specimens being beautifully coloured and others almost without markings. Couch says (Hist, of Fishes of Brit. Islands, 1860, ii. 191), 'it is found even at the mouth of the Thames.' 1 8. Network or Montagu's Sucker. Liparis montagui, Donov. Not infrequently taken in shrimp trawls. Day says (Fishes of Great Britain, i. 187) ' it is common off the mouth of the Thames.' 19. Doubly- spotted Sucker. Lepadogaster bimaculatus, Penn. Has been rarely recognized, but there is one specimen in Brightlingsea marine station caught in the mouth of the Colne. 20. Spotted Goby. Gobius minutus, Gmel. Common. Yarrell says (British Fishes, i. 260), ' It is apparently a new species from Colchester.' Day (Fishes of Great Britain, . 1 66) calls it numerous at the mouth of the Thames, and says it ' is commonly found amongst whitebait brought to the London market.' 2 1 . Two-spotted Goby. Gobius ruthensparri, Euphr. This little fish is common on the shores of the Wallet opposite Clacton, where it flourishes on the hard, almost rock-like London clay. It is frequently caught and boiled with the shrimps. 22. Transparent Goby. Aphia pelludda, Nardo. Possibly this may be common on the Essex coasts, but as the shrimpers throw away all the unsaleable fish they catch the opportuni- ties for seeing it are few. I have seen examples that were captured in the Wallet by the fishermen employed at the Biological Station at Brightlingsea. 23. John Dory. Zeus faber, Linn. Occasionally taken in the shrimp trawls, but the specimens are usually small. 24. Boar-fish. Capros aper, Linn. According to Day (Fishes of Great Britain, i. 137) numbers were caught at Harwich and Southend about May, 1879. Mr. Carrington further records (Zoologist, 1879, p. 342) the fact of the capture of these specimens in a shrimp trawl. 25. Mackerel. Scomber scombrus, Linn. Dale says (Hist, of Harwich, 1732, p. 429), ' These in their season are here to be caught.' As they are so plentiful both on the Kentish coasts and on those of Suffolk they are no doubt equally frequent on the Essex coast, although there is no regular fishery for them. 26. Common Tunny. Linn. Orcynus thynnus, Jenyns (British Vertebrate Animals, p. 363) calls it rare, and quoting Donovan he states that three were captured in the mouth of the Thames in 1801 and brought to Billingsgate market. In Essex County Chronicle of October 26. 1897, Mr. H. L. Matthams records the finding of a specimen of this fish on the shore at Foulness on the 20th of that month. It measured 9 feet in length and weighed about 5 or 6 cwt. (see also Zoologist, 1897, P- 579)- 27. Blackfish. Centrolophus pompilus, Linn. One was captured in the Colne and for- warded to Dr. Gtlnther at the British Museum, and was described by him in Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1882, pp. 204, 338 ; also in Zoo- logist, 1882, pp. 75, 152. 28. Swordfish. Xiphias gladius, Linn. Mr. Montford records (Zoologist, 1847, P- 1911) the finding of a dead one off the coast of Essex in 1834. C. Parsons also mentions (Zoologist, 1862, p. 8289) the capture of a living one in Potton creek, the sword of which was 3 feet long. An Essex specimen mentioned by Day (Fishes of Great Britain, i. 148) was probably the same fish. Buckland (Familiar Hist, of Brit. Fishes, p. 37) says a 222
