Notes and Letters on the Natural History of Norfolk: More Especially on the Birds and FishesBrowne, Thomas, Sir
History
Notes and Letters on the Natural History of Norfolk: More Especially on the Birds and Fishes
Browne, Thomas, Sir
Natural history -- England -- Norfolk
[_Fol. 28._] The faber marinus[67] sometimes found very large answering
ye figure of Rondeletius. which though hee mentioneth as a rare fish &
to be found in the Atlantick & Gaditane ocean yet wee often meet with it
in these seas co[=m]only calld a peterfish hauing [a _crossed out_] one
[_written above_] black spot on ether side the body conceued the
perpetuall signature from the impression of St Peters fingers or to
resemble the 2 peeces of money wch St Peter tooke out of this fish
remarkable also from its disproportionable mouth & many hard prickles
about other parts.
[67] _Zeus faber_, the Dory. Many, usually small ones, are brought
in by our fishermen.
A kind of scorpius marinus[68] a rough prickly & monstrous headed fish 6
8 or 12 inches long answerable vnto the figure of Schoneueldeus.
[68] _Cottus scorpius_, Father Lasher, commonly taken by the
shrimpers.
A sting fish[69] wiuer or kind of ophidion or Araneus slender, narrowe
headed about 4 inches long wth a sharpe small prickly finne along the
back which often venemously pricketh the hands of fishermen.
[69] Probably from its size the Lesser Weever, _Trachinus vipera_,
as also the _Draco minor_ of Jonstoni. A common fish in our waters.
Large numbers of the Greater Weever, _T. draco_, are brought in by
the trawlers.
Aphia cobites marina[70] or sea Loche.
[70] One of the Gobies. Day, "Brit. Fishes," i., p. 169, supposes
the _Aphya cobites_ of Rondeletius (p. 20) to be the White Goby,
_A. pellucida_; Pennant has _A. cobites_ as a synonym for the
Spotted Goby (_G. minutus_) and the Sea Gudgeons, Black Gobies (_G.
niger_), but at that time there was no very nice distinction of the
members of this genus. The Sea Miller's Thumb is probably the
Shanny (_Blennius pholis_). _Alosa_, is the Allis Shad (_Culpea
alosa_, L.), not uncommon (_see Note 74_).
Blennus a sea millars thumb.
Funduli marini sea gogions.
Alosæ or chads to bee met with about Lynne.
Spinachus or smelt[71] in greatest plentie about Lynne butt [co[=m]on on
yarmouth coast _crossed out_] where they haue also a small fish calld a
primme answering in [all _crossed out_] tast & shape a smelt & perhaps
are butt the yonger sort thereof.
[71] The Smelt, _Osmerus eperlanus_, is abundant in the shallow
waters and estuaries on the Norfolk coast in spring, ascending the
fresh-water rivers to spawn. The small fish called a Primme by
Browne, may be the Atherine (_Atherina presbyter_), which is also
found in our waters, where it is often mistaken for the Smelt, but
I have not heard it called by the former name.
[_Fol 29._] Aselli or cods of seuerall sorts. Asellus albus or whitings
in great plentie. Asellus niger carbonarius or [col _crossed out_] coale
fish. Asellus minor Schoneueldei callarias pliny or Haydocks with many
more also a weed fish somewhat like an haydock butt larger & dryer meat.
A Basse also much resembling a flatter kind of Cod.[72]
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