FISHES Blakeney and Burnham ; a small, round, slender fish, about three or four inches long, as big as a small tobacco-pipe ; a very dainty dish.' 8i. Garfish. Be/one vulgaris, Flem. Lynn Roads. — Mr. E. L. King. Lubbock says this has been taken within five miles of Norwich. ' The acus major, called by some garfish and greenback, answering the figure of Ronde- letius, under the name of acus prima species, remarkable for its quadrangular figure and verdigris-green bone.' — Sir T. Browne. In the editor's footnote this is incorrectly given as Centriscus scolopax, a Mediterranean fish, not likely to be caught on the Norfolk coasts. 82. Skipper. Scombresox saurus, Walb. Yarmouth.— 7. H. G. 'Two specimens, about 16 inches long, caught October 25th, 1844, are now in the Norwich Museum.' Blakeney Harbour, December 7th, 1846. —Rev. E. W. Dowell. Sir T. Browne remarks : ' The saurus we sometimes meet with young. Rondeletius confesseth it a very rare fish, somewhat re- sembling the acus or needle-fish before, and mackerel behind.' HEMIBRANCHII
- 83. Three-spined Stickleback. Gastrosteus
aculeatus, Linn. In the Ouse immense quantities of this species are often caught and sold for manure, or used as bait for eel. Mr. Gurney states that in the saltmarshes at Cley and Salthouse, where they are very numerous, they appear to form the chief food of the little tern during the nesting season.
- 84. Ten-spined Stickleback. Gastrosteus
pungitius, Linn. In ditches near Lynn ; it is not very com- mon. The number of species vary. ' Three were sent me by the Rev. W. Millard from a ditch near Shimbling.' — T. S. ' Mr. F. Norgate writes : February 23rd, 1883: "Is abundant in meadow drains at Sparham." Mr. Louis Buxton also found it not uncommon in his lake at Bolwick Hall, 1 88 1 .' — T. S. In west Norfolk it is not very common. Mr. Gurney saw one taken from the stomach of a cod-fish purchased in Norwich market. Yarmouth : 'frequent,' 1897. 86 LOPHOBRANCHII fish. Siphonostoma Broad - nosed Pipe typhle, Linn. Norfolk Estuary. One which was taken at Heacham is in the Norwich Museum. Yarmouth. — P. 87. Greater Pipe-fish. Syngnathus acus, Linn. Common. The following note is worth recording in reference to this species which abounds in the Norfolk Estuary : ' Acus item apud nos non vulgaris pisces est, nici circa phanum Botolphi quod nostri Boston, quasi Botolphis toune diceres Hornbeke nostri dicunt a corneo quod habet rostro ' (Dr. Caius De Canibus Britannicis, fol. 26, 1 570). 88. Snake Pipe-fish. Nerophis lequoreus, Linn. Mr. Elwes has taken this in the Norfolk Estuary. Mr. A. Patterson found one washed up on the beach at Yarmouth, the first taken in that locality {Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc, vol. v. p. 230). 89. Straight-nosed Pipe-fish. Nerophis ophi- dian, Linn. Norfolk Estuary, June I2th, 1871. Mr. E. L. King. 85. Fifteen-spined Stickleback. spinachia, Linn. Yarmouth : ' rather rare.' — P. 90. Sea - horse. Hippocampus antiquorum. Leach. Yarmouth. This is given in Messrs. Paget's list, but there is no other record of its having been taken on the Norfolk coast. HAPLOMI
- 9i. Pike. Esox lucius, Linn.
' Attains a large size in the Norfolk Broads, from 25 to 35 lb.' — Lubbock. Mr. R. R. B. Norman mentions (in Land and Water, 1873) o"^ taken in the broads near Yarmouth, which weighed 36^ lb. and was 54 inches long ; it was caught with a trimmer. Two pike, caught on February 17th, 1880, in two different localities in Norfolk, both with rod and line, measured respectively 47 and 46 inches in length. The former weighed 36 lb. and the latter 30^ lb. ; Gastrosteus they were both full females. Mr. Gunn says that he has never met with a male pike weighing more than 20 lb. 209
