SPARID^E. 31 



readies to beneath the middle of the eye : lower jaw slightly the longer. Pre- 

 opercle twice as high as broad. Preorbital large, being as high or higher than 

 broad, its depth exceeding the width of the eye. Teeth an onter conical row in 

 the upper jaw, the 4 front rows of which are enlarged : while posteriorly in both 

 jaws exist 2 or 3 rows of rounded molars. Two large canines anteriorly on either 

 side of the mandible. Fins dorsal spines of moderate strength, increasing in 

 length to the third, from whence they equal the height of the rays and about 

 1/3 of that of the body. Pectoral pointed, rather longer than the head, and 

 reaching to above the anal spines. Ventral does not extend so far as the vent. 

 Second anal spine stronger, but not quite so long as the third. Caudal forked. 

 Scales extend forwards to above the eyes : 6 rows across the cheeks and 8 across 

 the opercles, those on the head being much smaller than those on the body. 

 Colours the front and top of the head brownish-red : back and fins, except 

 the anal, as if formed by a mixture of lake and vermillion : occasionally the back 

 has broad reddish bands descending to the abdomen : anal pale yellow : sides pale 

 red : under surface dull white : iris yellow. The young are plain silvery, with 

 reddish bands. In some examples a blue band passes from one eye to the other, 

 but which is said to be absent in others. Rondel observed that during' 

 winter it becomes of a bluish tint, which remark, however, still needs confir- 

 mation. 



Varieties. This fish has occasioned considerable trouble to Ichthyologists from 

 the time of Bloch until the present, as owing to errors of identification its 

 occurrence on our southern shores is every now and then being recorded. Bloch's 

 figure of Sparus pagrus, with its black shoulder spot, is perhaps Pagellus centro- 

 dontus, as the illustration of its teeth does not coincide what exists in Pagrus, the 

 difference however between the head of Bloch's fish and what obtains in Pagellus 

 centrodontus will be referred to at page 37. While the figure of Pagrus in 

 Aldrovandus also represents the Pagellus centrodontus. 



Basso seems to have described this fish in his Sparus pagrus, but he considered 

 it to be identical with Bloch's figure. Subsequently in his larger work he named 

 another fish Aurata orphus, retaining his Pagrus pagrus, identical as he still con- 

 sidered it, with Bloch's species. 



Valenciennes held that Bloch's figure represented Pagellus centrodontus and 

 Risso's description Pagrus vulgaris, but he considered that Aurata orphus Risso 

 with a blue interorbital band and a more abrupt profile of the snout was a distinct 

 species : which, however, Steindachner has, it appears to me, with much justice 

 dissented from. 



Yarrell in his Fishes of the British Isles gave a figure of Pagrus vulgaris taken 

 from Cuvier and Valenciennes' grand work : this he identified with the Braize or 

 Beclcer of the south coast of England, taking his description from a British example, 

 to this he added a vignette of the dentition as he found it, but the dentition and his 

 specimens which are still preserved in the national collection belong to Pagellus 

 erythrinus. Couch likewise terms the Braize or Becker, Pagrus vulgaris, and it is 

 more difficult to understand to what fish he refers (vol. i, p. 228, pi. li), the fin 

 rays are thus briefly described "dorsal nine, anal three." He states it to be 

 " common on the south and west of England, but it does not appear to be of 

 frequent occurrence in the north of England or Scotland. . . Its habits are 

 migratory, and its visits are confined to the summer and autumn, leaving us, on 

 the approach of colder weather, in the beginning of the winter. It is a solitary 

 fish." As Couch appears to have obtained only a single example of Pagrus, and 

 which he considered to be an unknown species, or Couch's sea bream, we are 

 justified in believing that he made some error in his diagnosis of the species, 

 having in reality described a Pagellus as Pagrus vidgaris, and published a figure 

 of an unknown fish as a representation, so far as I have been able to ascertain. 



Habits. Risso observes that it approaches the shore in summer. While 

 Valenciennes, who examined the intestines of one (P. orphus), remarks that the 

 stomach and abdominal cavity were filled with the remains of small shell fish 

 having horny opercles, consuming such as have a less hard shell than Turbo 

 or Trochus. 



