Notes and Letters on the Natural History of Norfolk

Note 64 — NOTES ON CERTAIN FISHES AND MARINE ANIMALS FOUND IN NORFOLK.

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The Saurus of Rondeletius appears to be the Skipper or Saury-pike (Scombresox saurus) of modern authors. Acus major is the Gar-fish or Greenback (Belone vulgaris); this is the Acus primus of Rondeletius, Dr. Harmer has been good enough to send me the following note on Rondeletius's figures:—"De Acus secunda specie" (lib. viii. p. 229). "Two species are figured; the upper figure appears to represent Siphonostoma typhle, and the lower one S. acus. Günther ('Brit. Mus. Cat.,' viii. p. 157) gives a reference to Rondeletius in his synonyms of S. acer without indicating that the latter figures two species. Under S. typhle (p. 154) he gives the synonym Syngnathus rondeletii, De la Roche. A reference to Delaroche ('Ann. Mus. Hist. Nat., Paris,' xiii, 1809 p. 324, Pl. xxi. fig. 5) shows that S. rondeletii is identified with the first figure on p. 229 of Rondeletius; and it may thus be concluded that Günther agrees with this conclusion. It seems therefore probable that Browne's Acus of Aristotle refers to S. typhle."

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