Mr. R. Parnell on the Motella cimbria. 41 



the caudal, the first rays stout and simple, the rest branched. 

 The fin-rays in number are 



1st D. 50; 2nd D. 50; P. 16 ; V. 5 ; A. 43 ; C. 20; 

 Vert. 52. 



Scales small, smooth, and adherent, covering the head, body, 

 and membranes of the dorsal, caudal and anal fins ; lateral 

 line distinct, formed by a number of oval depressions placed 

 at intervals from each other, commencing over the operculum, 

 taking a bend under the ninth, tenth, and eleventh rays of 

 the second dorsal fin, from thence running straight to the 

 middle ray of the caudal. Colours, back and sides of a grey- 

 ish brown, belly dirty white, second dorsal fin edged with 

 white, which is more apparent towards the caudal end ; upper 

 half of the caudal fin tipped with white ; pectorals, caudal and 

 lower parts of the dorsal, dark brown approaching to black ; 

 anal and ventrals dusky. 



Two well-known species of 'Motella are frequently met with 

 on our coast, the Motella quinquecirrata and the Motella vul- 

 garis-, but I am not aware of the Motella cimbria (Gadus 

 cimbrius of Linnaeus) having previously been noticed as a 

 British fish. It was found in June last, a little to the east of 

 Inchkeith, on a haddock line baited with muscles, and sent 

 me by the fishermen of Newhaven, as being the only fish of 

 the kind they had ever met with. From its general appearance^ 

 they at once recognised it to be closely allied to the five-bearded 

 rockling (Motella quinquecirrata), a common species through- 

 out the coast, but on comparison the differences between them 

 were obvious ; and although the two fishes do disagree in some 

 particulars, yet it is difficult to point out accurately and satis- 

 factorily, to those who are not in the habit of handling them, 

 what these particulars are. Some authors, placing no depend- 

 ence as a character on the numbers of barbules on the snout, 

 consider the five-bearded rockling and the three-bearded rock- 

 ling as mere varieties ; but this is not admitted either by Mr. 

 Yarrell or by Mr. Jenyns, who very justly consider them as 

 deserving of a place as distinct species in their valuable works 

 on British Ichthyology. The four-bearded rockling, accord- 

 ing to Linnaeus, occurs in the Atlantic and Norway seas, and 

 is distinguished by the first ray of the anterior dorsal fin pre- 



