SPARID.E. 



and the north coast of Antrim, where it is called Murranroe 

 and Barwin ; on the north-west coast of Ireland it is called 

 a Gunner. On the east coast of England it is not un- 

 common : Dr. Johnston has met with it in Berwick Bay, 

 and Dr. Parnell has obtained it in the Frith of Forth. 

 It is included by S. Nilsson in his Prodomus Ichthyologies 

 Scandinavicee ; and Professor Reinhardt has ascertained its 

 most northern locality on the coast of Denmark : but it is not 

 included by Linnseus in his Fauna Suecica, nor is it men- 

 tioned by M Idler or Fabricius. 



" Common as this fish is," says Mr. Couch, " I have 

 found a difficulty in assigning to it its proper synonymes. I 

 suppose it, however, to be the Lunulated Gilt-head of Pen- 

 nant, with his figure of which it agrees, though not with his 

 description. He represents it as of a dusky green on the 

 back, where our Sea Bream is red, with a tint of yellow. On 

 the upper part of the gills, according to Pennant, is a black 

 spot, and a purplish one beneath :" but our fish has only a 

 broad dark brown spot at the origin of the lateral line. Dr. 

 Fleming's description agrees with Pennant's ; and Ray says 

 it weighs ten pounds ; but our fish would be thought enor- 

 mous if of half that size. 



The young fish, which are commonly known by the name 

 of Chads, are without the lateral spot until their first autumn, 

 when they arc about half-grown. 



The Sea Bream is found on the west coast of England 

 throughout the year, but is most abundant in summer and 

 autumn ; and it retreats altogether in severely cold weather. 

 The spawn is shed in the beginning of winter in deep water ; 

 and in January the Chads, about an inch in length, are found 

 in the stomachs of large fishes, taken at two or three leagues 

 from land : in summer, when from four to six inches long, 

 they abound in innumerable multitudes, and are taken by 

 anglers in harbours, and from the rocks ; for they bite with 



