ANGLER. 215 



made from them when they were quite fresh. The ventral 

 fins are still longer in the Mediterranean fish than in one of 

 the Scandinavian specimens, being, with the filaments in which 

 the rays terminate, as long as the whole fish. Diiben and 

 Keren believe that the length of the ventrals indicate a sexual 

 difference. I cannot share this opinion, which is contrary to 

 what we observe in other fishes. If there are external sexual 

 differences in a species, they do not appear before the individuals 

 approach maturity. The young male and female of Callionymus 

 lyra are perfectly alike. 



"The Mediterranean and Scandinavian specimens agree in 

 the chief points; their head, compared with mature individuals, 

 is shorter and less depressed; the anterior dorsal spine is 

 shorter than the following ones, which are more fringed; the 

 pectoral and ventral fins are much longer and more expansible ; 

 the fin rays are produced into delicate filaments; in short, the 

 young Sea Devils are provided with a down which is lost with 

 age. There are two distinct species of Sea Devil in the 

 Mediterranean Seas, Lopli'ms piscatorius and L. Budegassa. 

 The distinctness of these two species has been doubted by most 

 ichthyologists, the second (called by Cuvier L. parvipinnis ,) 

 having been founded on apparently variable characters, as 

 colouration and number of the dorsal rays. The latter may 

 be relied upon if immature specimens (not more than one foot 

 in length) be examined; L. piscatorius having not less than 

 eleven, and L. Budegassa not more than nine dorsal rays. 

 But the anterior rays become very indistinct in adult specimens 

 of the former, and are totally lost to observation by the 

 process of stuffing, to which the large specimens are submitted. 

 In consequence of this the Short-finned Sea Devil has not 

 been admitted as a species by Valenciennes, Nilsson, and 

 others, who perhaps never examined an individual really 

 belonging to it, always taking incomplete specimens of L. 

 piscatorius for L. Budegassa. Both, however, may be readily 

 recognised at any age, by the form of the humeral spine, 

 which has two or three tooth-like processes in the former, 

 whilst it is smooth, simple, and lanceolate in the latter. L. 

 Budegassa does not appear to grow to the same size as L. 

 piscatorius. It will be evident from these remarks to which 

 of the two species we refer the L. curypterus. Although no 



