BALL AN WRASSE. 



311 



ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



LABRIDJE* 



THE BALLAN WRASSE. 



Labriis bergylta, ASOANIUS. Cuv. et VALENC. Hist. Nat. des Poiss. t. xiii. 



p. 20. 



,, macul-atus, BLOCH, pt. ix. pi. 294. 



,, ,, Ballan Wrasse, PENN. Brit. Zool. vol. iii. p. 334, pi. 55. 



,, tinea, Ancient Wrasse, or Old Wife, DON. Brit. Fish. pi. 83. 



,, Balanus, Ballan Wrasse, FLEM. Brit. An. p. 209, sp. 130. 

 ,, ,, CUVIER, Regne An. t. ii. p. 255. 



,, maculatiis, Ballan Wrasse, JENYNS, Brit. Vert. p. 391. 



LABRUS. Generic Characters. Body elongated, covered with large thin 

 scales : a single dorsal fin, extending nearly the whole length of the back, part 

 of the rays spinous, the others flexible ; behind the point of each spinous ray a 

 short membranous filament : lips large and fleshy ; teeth conspicuous, conical, 

 sharp ; cheek and operculum covered with scales ; preoperculum and operculum 

 without serrations or spines. 



THE species of this family are numerous even on our 

 own shores alone, and from the variations in colour to 

 which they seem liable, they have not been very well deter- 

 mined ; red, green, and orange colour being each occasion- 

 ally predominant : the more permanent characters of the pro- 

 portions of the head and body, the form of the different parts 



* The family of the Wrasses, or Rock-fishes. 



