FISHES 62. Lemon Sole. Solea lascaris, Risso. Very rare as an Essex fish. There is one Essex specimen at the biological station at Brightlingsea. 63. Little Sole. Solea lutea, Risso. This also is rare. An Essex specimen is preserved at Brightlingsea station. PLECTOGNATHI 64. Short Sun-fish. Orthagoriscus mo/a, Linn. Lindsey says (A Season at Harwich, p. 102) this 'occurs but occasionally on the Essex coast.' Mr. E. A. Fitch informs me he saw a very large one which had been taken in the river Crouch, at Battles Bridge, on October 21, 1874. It was a female, measur- ing 4 ft. 6 in. in length, and was carried about and exhibited (see Land and Water, October 31, 1874, p. 340). Mr. Fitch also saw another in the same river at Burnham. 65. Oblong Sun -fish. Orthagoriscus trun- catus, Retz. Lindsey says (A Season at Harwich, pt. 2, p. 101) the oblong sun-fish is rare. PERCESOCES
- 66. Grey Mullet. Mugil capita, Cuv.
Yarrell says (British Fishes, i. 202) it occurs constantly on the Essex coast. It still is found commonly in the season. 67. Lesser Grey Mullet. Mugil chelo, Cuv. Is not so common as the last-mentioned species. 68. Atherine, Sand Smelt. Atherina pres- byter, Jenyns. Occasionally captured by the smelt fisher- men at the mouth of the Colne. This year, 1901, they were very common about Walton and Clacton piers. 69. Larger Launce or Sand-Eel. Ammodytes lanceolatus, Le Sauvage. This is found, but not so commonly as the next species. 70. Lesser Launce or Sand-Eel. Ammodytes tobianus, Linn. This is common, but I do not think it is ever especially fished for, as is the case in the west of England, where large numbers are caught for bait. 71. Gar-fish. Be/one vulgaris, Flem. Large numbers of this are taken at certain seasons round the coast. They meet with a ready sale in London. HEMIBRANCHII
- 72. Three-spined Stickleback. Gastrosteus
aculeatus, Linn. Common everywhere in streams, ponds and ditches. Doing very well in the brackish waters of the marsh ditches.
- 73. Ten-spined Stickleback or Tinker.
Gastrosteus pungitius, Linn. This is not nearly so common as the last species, being found more frequently in small streams rather than ponds, although it occurs in the latter situations. I have never found it in brackish water. Many of our specimens have only nine spines. 74. Fifteen-spined Stickleback. Gastrosteus spinachia, Linn. I have found this species very commonly in trawling for eels amongst the Zostera marina, on the muddy shores of the Blackwater at Mersea. Unlike the rest of the family this species is entirely confined to the sea. LOPHOBRANCHII 75. Broad - nosed Pipe-fish. Siphonostoma typhle, Linn. Very common amongst the Zostera. 76. Greater Pipe-fish. Syngnathus acus, Linn. This, the commonest species of the family, is found on all parts of the coast, especially in the beds of Zostera. 77. Ocean or Snake Pipe-fish. Nerophis aquoreus, Linn. Although not so common as the last two, this is found in some quantity in the eel trawls, in the same situation amongst the Zostera. Day (Fishes of Great Britain, ii. 262) gives the estuary of the Thames as their habitat. 78. Straight-nosed or Snake Pipe-fish. Nero- phis ophidian, Linn. Buckland says (Fam. Hist, of Brit. Fishes, p. 197) this is often taken with whitebait in the mouth of the Thames. 79. Sea - horse. Hippocampus antiquorum, Leach. Dr. Bree records (Field, Dec. i, 1866, p. 420) the capture of two specimens of rhis rare fish at Brit'htlinp-sea. 225 p. 420; the capture 01 two this rare fish at Brightlingsea.
