48 JVGO'S OOLDSINNY. 



dorsal, and caudal fins inclined to red. The front of the dorsal 

 bears a dark mark, which extends to three or four of the rays; 

 at the upper border of the base of the tail is a round or 

 oval spot, which may rather be said to be on each side of the 

 edge than exactly on the top; a pink spot close to the upper 

 part of the base of the pectoral. 



This species of Wrass remained long in a state of uncertainty, 

 from havinsr been confounded with such others of the Labridce 

 as had their chief marks of distinction in a spot at or near 

 the root of the tail. Mr. Yarrell led the way in part to the 

 detection of this error, by engraving, although only as a tail- 

 piece, a figure of the fish at p. 301, vol. i, of his first edition; 

 but the likeness was much distorted by the accidental pressure 

 of the specimen in its conveyance. Further doubt, however, 

 appeared to be dispelled by Mr. Selby, who published in the 

 first volume of the "Magazine of Zoology," etc., p. 167, with 

 a plate, a description of the fish from examples thrown on 

 shore in a storm on the coast of Northumberland. But the 

 figure given by Mr. Selby is more stout and deep than any of 

 the examples I have seen; and a remark to the same purport 

 is made by Mr. M'Calla, as quoted in Mr. Thompson's work, 

 already referred to. If the form of the scales in Mr. Yarrell's 

 plate is correctly represented, there is in these also a remarkable 

 diiference in these fishes; and the broad bands from the back 

 downward, as in Mr. Selby's figure, have never presented 

 themselves in a Cornish, nor, 1 may add, in an Irish example. 

 On the contrary, I have had occasion to mention 'the pink- 

 tinted horizontal lines on the sides, which have also been 

 noticed in Irish specimens, but not in those of the north ot 

 England. How far these differences may be explained by 

 reference to the variety of ground and climate in which the 

 individuals are found, is a subject for further inquiry; and 

 this observation is the more appropriate, as, according to Dr. 

 Gunther, who quotes the work on Ichthyology by Cuvier, 

 there is a species with which it might be confounded. This 

 is the Ctenolahrus tnarginatus, which is a native of the Medi- 

 terranean, and of a more lengthened form than this C. rxipestris, 

 with the same number of fin rays, and a large black spot 

 anteriorly on the dorsal fin, and another on each side of the 

 caudal fin; the vertical fins with a n.u-row blackish margin 



