<;OBIUS 0RCA, COLLETT, WITHIN THE CLYDE SEA AREA. 75 



Sars, Jim., at Espevar, in the mouth of Hardangerijord (5iT 35'), 

 from a depth of 80 to 100 fathoms, in 1873. Altogether, six 

 specimens have been taken off the Norwegian coast. During the 

 cruise of the steam yacht " l'Hirondelle," belonging to the Prince 

 of Monaco (1885-8), two small specimens, measuring about 

 24 mm., were taken at the depth of 166 m. in the Gulf of 

 Gascoigne, off Sables d'Olonne (Lat. 46° 27' N., Long. 6° 30' O.).* 



The only reference to its occurrence in the British Seas is 

 found in Collett's work referred to, where he observes — " En 

 dehors de la Norvege, sa presence n'a ete constatee jusqu' a present 

 que sur la cote nord de l'Loosse (Kilbrannan Sound), oil on en 

 a recueilli un individu en mars 1888 ; cet exemplaire a ete decrit 

 et figure par Gunther sous le noni de G. Jeffreysi, male.'' T 



Occurrence. — I have taken altogether three specimens within 

 the Firth of Clyde during the past five years — 



(1) Largs Channel, between Keppel Pier and Fairlie Sands| 



(Lat. 55° 45' N., Long. 4° 54' W.) 3 19 fathoms, hard 

 ground, by shrimp trawl. A female (mature), 36 mm. ; 

 to root of caudal, about 29 mm. 



(2) Between Scalpsie Bay and Cock of Arran (Lat. 55° 44' N"., 



Long. 5° 11' W.), 75-89 fathoms, mud, by shrimp trawl, 

 male, length, 34 mm. ; to root of caudal, 26 mm. 



(3) In mid-channel (Lat. 55° 41' N., Long. 5° W.), 51 fathoms, 



mud, by shrimp trawl, male; length, 34 mm. ; to root 

 of caudal, 27 mm. 



Gobius orca has now been assigned to the genus Lebetus, 

 instituted by Winther, in 1877, to receive this and a closely 

 allied species, G. scoj-pioicles, Collett, in which the structure 

 of the ventrals is somewhat different from that which obtains 

 in most of the other species of Gobius (which consists in not 

 having the base united by a membrane). Collett, however, 

 observes in this connection — " Mais, comme cette membrane 



* Resultats des Campagnes Sc. de "l'Hirondelle," Fascicule X. poissons 

 par Collett, p. 41. 



f Op. cit., p. 43 (for Collett's reference (115), vide Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinr., 

 March, 1S88, p. 210, pi. III., fig. B). 



X We also took at this station a fine specimen of Rantceps raninus (Lin.). 

 The only other record for its occurrence in the Clyde is by Dr. 

 Sconler, in 1860 {Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasgow, Vol. I., p. 8, 1868). 



