THE SANITARY CONDITION OF ESSEX.
99
On the whole, the condition of the county may be said to be
fairly satisfactory, but no one can make even a cursory examination
of our villages without noticing how wretchedly a large proportion of
the labouring classes are housed, and how inadequately they are sup-
plied with pure water. With better cottages and more wholesome
water, the death-rate would doubtless considerably decrease.
A more complete report, showing the local incidence of par-
ticular diseases and illustrated with maps will be found in my sup-
plementary report to the Chelmsford and Maldon R. S. authorities
for the year 1889, a copy of which is in the Essex Field Club's
Library.
Sharks in the Blackwater.—On the evening of July 12th, Joseph Handley
caught two large topes off Goldhanger Spit, at the mouth of Goldhanger Creek.
These were both caught in his trawl at successive hauls and were a considerable
trouble to get out of the net and Handley had quite a job to kill them—they
proved to be too tenacious of life to please him. The presence of these two large
fish together confirms Ogilby's observation that these sharks usually hunt in
couples (see Day's "British Fishes" ii. 293). I saw the heads and tails of these two
fish the morning after they were caught but they had been cut up and a large
portion had already been eaten by various persons. The species was undoubtedly
Galeus vulgaris, Flem. Several large specimens have been taken on the main
but fortunately the shark is rare in our river, although I think that small speci-
mens have occasionally been taken. One of the sharks caught was from five feet
to five feet six inches long, and was estimated to weigh forty pounds ; the other
was four feet long, and probably weighed about thirty pounds. Mr. Amos
Taylor and other fishermen told me that the local name was "Sweet William," a
cognomen I cannot account for, although it was in use in Dale's days (" History
of Harwich," p. 420).—Edward A. Fitch, Maldon.
Sea Trout in East Anglia.—"It appears that the presence of sea trout in
considerable numbers, not only in the Orwell but in the adjoining river the Stour,
has been observed for some years past. The larger of these fish, which run up
to five pounds in weight, are locally called" bull trout." Similar fish have also
been caught in the neighbouring Blackwater River in recent years, and it would
be highly interesting to ascertain, if possible, whether these fish are bred in the
neighbourhood, or whether, as seems more probable, they are wanderers from
rivers farther north. The efforts which are now being made to open up the River
Gipping to them by the construction of a pass over Handford Weir deserve every
encouragement."—C. E. Fryer, in the "Twenty-ninth Annual Report of the
Inspectors of Fisheries (England and Wales)," for 1889, pp. 36-7.
[A salmon trout was captured in the Chelmer, February 23rd, 1889 (E.N. iii.
35), and another in the Roach, February 25th, 1890 (E.N. iv. 20). Should any
member meet with an East Anglian specimen he should see if it be marked any-
where, or, if he has the opportunity, forward the fish to Mr. Fryer, Fisheries
Department, Board of Trade, Whitehall Gardens, S.W. One that Mr. Fryer saw
from the Orwell hid a piece cut out of its caudal fin or tail,—E. A. F.]
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