292 Mr* Montagu's Observations 
straight to the tail: skin smooth, but when examined by a lens 
appears finely punctured. 
Colour pale carmine, darkest above and towards the tail; gill 
plates and undulated transverse lines along the sides, silvery; fins 
of the same colour as the body, except the ventral, which are 
nearly white. 
Length, ten inches; depth behind the head rather more than 
three quarters of an inch; breadth, half an inch. 
The specimen of this elegant fish, from which the description 
and annexed figure were taken, was caught in Salcomb bay, on 
the south coast of Devonshire, on the 25th of February 1803. 
It appears to differ a little hv the characters given of the genus, 
for it has only four branchiostegous rays; but we suspect this 
circumstance is not always to be depended on. 
Gmelin seems inclined to think this a variety of CcpolaTcenia; 
but that is out of all question, as the body of this species is not 
carinatcd on each side, nor has the lower jaw a double row of 
teeth; and in other particulars it differs*. 
Toothed Giltiiead. 
Sparus niger. Titrt. IJnn. i.p. 789- 
Brama marina cauda forcipata. Rail Syn. Pise. p. 115. n. 4. 
Will. Icth. t. V. 12. 
Sparus Raii, La Castagnole. Block. Ichth. Pt. 8. p. 75. pi. 275. 
La Castagnole. Duham. Trait, de Pech. t. 3. p. 26. pi. o.f. 1. 
Toothed Gilthcad. Br. Zool. 'in. p. 243. t. 43. 
* Since the above was written, another specimen was brought to us from the same 
place: this was taken on the 25th of* March. It was an inch longer, but not quite so 
deep; the branchiostegous and fin rays corresponded exactly; the colour was rather 
darker, and the base of the dorsal fin inclining to orange. This is probably a male, the 
o;ber a female, 
This 
