258 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



elongated : lips very thick. Bones of the head unarmed. The posterior extremity 

 of the maxilla does not reach so far as to beneath the front edge of the eye. 

 Posterior edge of preopercle smooth or even crenulated, very distinctly so in a 

 female example 11 inches in length, and serrated in its lower half in a male 

 7\ inches long. Teeth conical, in a single row, 7 to 13 in either side of the 

 upper and 9 to 21 in the lower jaw, the largest being anteriorly. Fins dorsal 

 commences above the base of the pectoral, its spines gradually increase in length 

 to the last which equals the height of the soft rays. Pectoral half as long as the 

 head. Ventral commencing beneath the middle of the pectoral reaches more 

 than half way to the anal. Caudal rounded. Scales about 7 rows across the 

 cheeks : present also on opercles, and a row along each caudal ray. Lateral-line 

 curves gradually to beneath the posterior end of the soft dorsal, where 

 it becomes straight. The tubes simple. Colours these differ widely in the 

 sexes, and are also subject to great variations. Male general colour of the 

 body yellow or orange tinged with red, becoming lightest beneath : five or six 

 bands of blue radiate backwards from the eye, one being generally continued 

 along the body below the lateral-line to the caudal fin, while a similar, but less 

 marked, blue band exists above the lateral-line. Fins yellow or orange, a large 

 blue blotch occupies most of the interspinous membrane existing between the first 

 twelve dorsal spines and is sometimes continued backwards in the form of spots 

 as far as the first ray. A narrow blue band with an outer white edging passes 

 along the dorsal and anal fins : while the outer half or two-thirds of the caudal 

 is likewise blue. Occasionally the blue edging to the anal is very wide. Female 

 yellow or orange-red along the back becoming lighter on the sides and beneath. 

 Pins yellow or orange, a purplish or bluish blotch occupies most of the inter- 

 spinous membrane existing between the first three or four dorsal spines : two 

 black blotches, surrounded by a light margin, are present on the back beneath 

 the soft dorsal fin on to which they are usually extended, a third similar one is 

 present over the free portion of the tail. The fins, except the caudal, frequently 

 edged as described for the male. The light margin surrounding the black 

 blotches are sometimes expanded into distinct light round or oval marks. The 

 young males are similarly coloured to the females. 



Varieties.- Labrus vehda, Yarrell (not Bloch), has, as already observed, been 

 pointed out by Nilsson to be an abnormal example. 



Fries and Ekstrom first discriminated that the blue-striped wrasse is the male 

 and the three-spotted wrasse the female of one species. 



Fleming placed L. bimaculatus and trimaculatus as varieties of L. maculatus, 

 while he admitted L. coquus as a distinct species. Couch remarks of the female 

 that he has seen it with from three to five black spots on the back and dorsal 

 fin. I obtained one with only a single black blotch on the dorsal fin. Some 

 fishermen consider that a predominance of yellow denotes that the example has 

 been residing in deep waters. 



Names. CooJc wrasse, blue-striped wrasse, cooh-conner. Cuckoo-fish, Cornwall. 

 Livery-servant and livery-fish in the north of Ireland. Female red wrasse, flesh- 

 coloured wrasse, two- or three-spotted wrasse. Le labre mele ou varie, French. 



Habits. It inhabits rocky shores but does not appear to like sandy bays. 

 It feeds on mollusca and Crustacea, coming nearer in shore during the summer 

 months. It is especially partial to the spider crab, and is frequently taken in 

 crab-pots. 



Means of capture. Takes a bait freely, especially those being employed 

 whiffing for pollack. 



Baits. Lob- worms. 



Breeding. Deposits its spawn in April or May, and R. Couch found examples 

 with ova in July and August, but he thought the same fish does not breed twice 

 in one season, since the April and August breeders are rarely found in the same 

 locality. Risso on the contrary considered that it bred at two separate seasons. 

 Thompson observes that its ova are extremely minute. 



Hermaphrodites. Conch remarked upon having obtained one of this species 

 in the month of May. 



