THREE-SPOTTED WEASS. 



Trimaculated Wrass, DONOVAN; pi. 49. 



Labrus trimacuhitus, TURTON'S Linnreus. OUVIER. 



" carneus, BLOCII. 



Lalre triplefache, Risso. 



Lcibrus trimaculafus, JENYNS; Manual, p. 396. 



YARRELT,; Br. Fishes, vol i, p. 320. 



GUNTHER; Cat. Br. M., vol. iv. 



THIS is also a common fish, as well in the Mediterranean 

 as on the west and south coasts of England and Ireland; it 

 is also mentioned by Nilsson as met with in Sweden ; but it 

 is rare in Scotland, and is only of casual occurrence in the 

 Orkney Islands. 



Its habits and food resemble those of the Cook; and indeed 

 it is the opinion of Nilsson and Dr. Gunther that it is the 

 female of the last-named species; a fact which future observation 

 must decide. It spawns in April or May, and on the second 

 day of the last-mentioned month an individual was examined 

 that proved to be a sharer of both sexes. The mature roe 

 passed from it on slight pressure, but, on cutting the body 

 open, while one lobe was found nearly empty, the other was 

 far short of perfection, and a lobe of milt, in the same con- 

 dition, lay with them. 



This fish reaches the length of eight or nine inches; the 

 shape rather lengthened, plump, moderately compressed, not so 

 robust as in the Cook, which in outline it generally resembles. 

 Head lengthened before the eyes; jaws equal; lips fleshy; teeth 

 in the upper jaw numerous, those in the front large, separate, 

 curved, projecting; in the lower jaw the two corner teeth in 

 front like the upper front teeth, the others small. Body 

 covered with scales as in the others of this family; lateral line 

 descending gradually opposite the termination of the dorsal fin. 



