105 



THREE-BEARDED ROCKLING. 



WHISTLER. WHISTLE-FISH. 



Mustela vulgaris, Whistle-Jisli, Willoughhy; p. 121, Table H. 2. 

 Gacle musteUe, Lacepede. llisso. Bloch; pi. 165. 



Gadus tricirratus, Do.novan; pi. 2. 



Fleming; British Animals, p. 193. 

 Motella tricirrata, Jenyns; Manual, p. 449. 



" vulgaris, Yarreli.; Br. Fishes, vol. ii, p. 270. 



GuNTHER; Cat. Br. M., vol. iv, p. 365. 



Until of late writers on natural history have regarded this 



fish and that which possesses four barbs on its snout, and 



consequently five in all, as only varieties of the same species; 



and they may stand excused ibr so doing, in the consideration 



that the examples of each, when of smaller size, and keeping 



closer to the lower tide-mark, as the Five-bearded Rockling 



generally does, are found to resemble each other closely, except 



in the particular that the last-named is furnished with a 



difierent number of barbs. But recent observation shews that 



these two fishes are naturally distinct, as well in their habits 



and distribution as in the obvious particular of a variety in 



the number of the processes or barbs. 



The Three-bearded Rockling is often found where sea-weeds 



cover oozy ground, and there it hides itself lander the shelter 



of a stone when the tide has retired. Under these circumstances 



the specimens are distinguished by uniformity of colour; the 



back and sides being chesnut brown, which is softened into 



yellow on the under parts. But those examples which are met 



with at perhaps the depth of ten or twenty fathoms are of 



much larger size, and their colour shews considerable difference; 



the ground of it being pale or reddish yellow, studded with 



spots of deep brown of the same tint as that which covers the 



body of the smaller individuals near the shore. And that 



they go to even a greater depth than that Ave have mentioned 

 VOL. 111. p 



