140 NOTES—ORIGINAL AND SELECTED.
average ; cod and lobsters were rather above. During the latter part of the
season the catch fell off very considerably, owing to the weather. Seven
first-class boats, 34 second, and 20 third belong to the station, but a much
larger number were engaged in the fishing.
In the Stour (Essex and Suffolk) District it is reported that a large
quantity of small fish have been observed, and preservation has been of value.
Like success has not been achieved in the Orwell.
At Brightlingsea trawling inshore for flat fish was an average
alike as to quantity, quality, and price. Oysters, mussels, scallops, and
whelks were an average, whilst sprats and shrimps were below the average.
Weather was against sprats. Forty first-class boats, 65 second, and 10 third
belong to the station.
At Burnham the general condition of the several fisheries was good, and
that for oysters very good, the weather having been generally favourable to
their culture. Very large quantities of "spat" are reported to have been
produced, and to be in good condition. Prices of oysters have been very
much lower than in the previous year.
The oyster fisheries about Colchester and Burnham are reported to have
been very good, and the fall of "spat" to have been abundant in some places.
The past winter seems to have been favourable to the cultivation of oysters,
and few were lost through severe weather. As the English markets have
lately been considerably injured by the rumours of typhoid poisoning from
eating oysters, the prices obtained by fishermen have been much lower than
usual.
The grantee of the Hanford Water and Paglesham Orders again reports
that nothing has been done with respect to the first ; and his statement with
regard to the second shows that the fishery was still used merely as a store-ground
for oysters bred elsewhere and placed here only temporarily. He adds, how-
ever, that there was a "fair spat in some parts." Eight hundred and sixty-
six thousand three hundred oysters were sold from the Tollesbury and Mersea
fishery, realising £6,810 10s. ; and 1,530,742 brood taken by local dredgermen
on the adjacent public grounds, and bought from them for £2,542 7s. 6d.,
were laid down on the grantees' beds ; besides 300,000 "half-ware,"1 bought
from local merchants and dredgermen, at a cost of £941 5s. Besides spat,
the stock on the grounds at the end of the season was estimated at
3,000,000 oysters and 4,000,000 "half-ware," the whole being valued at
£35,500.
The returns rendered by the Roach River Oyster Fishery Company under
the provision of the Sea Fisheries Act, 1868, show that 508,800 oysters were
sold last year for £3,099 9s. 8d., while 2,295 bushels of "brood," "half-ware"
and "spat" were laid down, the whole of which were derived from the
Company's own pits and grounds. A "favourable fall of spat" in 1896 is
reported, and the growth is stated to be strong.
INSECTA.
LEPIDOPTERA.
Saturnia carpini in Essex.—A female example of the Emperor Moth
was brought to me by Mr. A. J. Furbank a few weeks ago, which had been
1. "Spat" is the young oysters in their motile stage, or very early in their attached stage ;
when a little more mature they are called "brood"; while "half-ware" and "ware" are
oysters still nearer the marketable size.—Ed.