>28 



PAGKTTS. 



Two rows of small rounded molar teeth in each jaw; the front 

 teeth fine and crowded; strong conical teeth in the outer series. 



BECKER. 



This is one of the fishes of which Dr. Gunther, in his 

 "Catalogue of the Fishes of the British Museum," has ex- 

 pressed his opinion that Mr. Yarrell, in his history of our 

 native species, has made the mistake of uniting the figure of 

 one the true Pagrus copied from Cuvier's work, with the 

 description and synonymes of a different species. 



Where fishes so nearly resemble each other as a large 

 portion of this family are known to do, the marks of distinction, 

 which are laid down by description only, as also figures taken 

 from examples perhaps badly preserved, and when their dis- 

 tinguishing tints have faded, are very likely to lead to errors 

 of reference, similar to those which, in this instance and a 

 few others, are attributed to my deceased friend. But if in 

 this instance such an error has been fallen into, it has ex- 

 tended far more widely than Dr. Gunther appears to suppose, 

 since it is shared by most of the British naturalists, if not 

 indeed by all, and not excluding the names of those excellent 

 observers Willoughby and Ray. These last-named authors, 

 Avho acted together, had travelled along the shores of the 

 Mediterranean, for the special purpose of studying the natural 

 history of the fishes of that sea in connection with those of 

 their native country; and as some misunderstanding appears 

 then to have existed in regard to the two fishes which had 

 fallen within their observation, they have drawn at considerable 

 length a comparison between them. The first is the Erythrinus 

 or Rubellio, which Dr. Gunther believes to be the same with 



