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Show l<5/9.] OF WESTON-SUPER-MARE. 751 Couch gives a Transparent Goby and a Slender Goby, which may be examples of Latrunculus albus, a fish he considered " as the young of some better known species." CALLIONYMUS LYRA, Linn. C. dracunculus, Linn, (female). The Dragonet, Gemmous and Sordid Dragonets. This fish is taken off Weston, but only the male exists in the Museum. Mr. Sandford, to whom I am indebted for assistance in my investigations at the excellent Taunton Museum, informs me that the Skulpin is very good eating. CYCLOPTERUS LUMPUS, Linn. Lump-sucker. This fish is said to arrive in the cold months, and commits considerable havoc among the sprats. "Watching a Lump-sucker firmly attached to the glass of the tank, the idea occurred to me that the sucker may have been developed by natural selection, as a useful adjunct to the breathing movements of the fish. W h e n fixed, the fish appears to be perfectly at ease, and to breathe more fully and strongly than when swimming. The movements of the opercles or gill-covers, when the fish was attached, were specially strong, as compared with their motion in the act of swimming. In a large-headed and heavy-bodied fish, like Cyclopterus, any aid given to the respiratory movements would be a clear gain to the animal; and from a habit of simply resting on a object, so as to afford leverage and play to the gills, the comparatively useless ventral fins may have become specially modified as a disk of attachment; the development of the sucking-disk, and enlargement of the branchial cavity, would thus proceed pari passu, and by natural selection the present exaggerated features of both organs would be attained." (A. Wilson, ' Nature,' June 26, 1879, p. 197.) I would suggest that this modification of the ventral fins into a sucker (as we observe the first dorsal similarly modified in Echeneis) is principally for adhesion, either to prevent their being carried away by the tide, or to attach themselves to their prey. A heavy body, as a Lump-sucker, violently rolled over by a strong wave, would be liable to suffer considerable injury. As a proof of this I would refer to Dr. Mcintosh, who observes that after storms these fishes are found on the west sands of St. Andrews. LIPARIS VULGARIS, Flem. Sea-Snail. Small examples I found exceedingly common at Weston, several being almost invariably present in every shrimp-net, while the crabs appeared to be uncommonly fond of them, few being uninjured. In none could I see any blue lines. Large examples are said to be common in the winter. LIPARIS MONTAGUI, Donovan. Has been recorded from Somersetshire. LOPHIUS PISCATORIUS, Linn. Angler; Fishing-Frog. Every two or three years a large one is taken at Weston. The |