Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. 15 



The discrepancies of authors relative to the Phycis furcatus 

 induce me to add the following description of this individual : 

 length 25 inches ; greatest depth of body 6± inches ; weight 

 6£ lbs. With Cuvier's short description (Reg. An. t. 2. p. 335)^ 

 and which is adopted in the ' Manual of British Vertebrate Ani- 

 mals/ it agrees in only one of the three specific characters, that 

 of* the first dorsal being more elevated than the second. Its 3rd 

 D. ray is longest *, being 3 inches in length, and terminating 

 in a filament; the 2nd ray is 2 inches, and the first but 10 

 lines long. Upper jaAV much the longer ; ventral fin, from 

 base to extremity of the longer fork, 7f inches ; to that of the 

 shorter, 5^ inches. Head 5 inches 10 lines long, nearly as 

 one to four in length of body j P. fin rather more than half 

 the length of the head, and central between the dorsal and 

 ventral outline; profile rather angular from D. fin to eye, 

 above which it is a little depressed ; eye exceeding an inch in 

 diameter ; nostrils double, 3 lines apart ; beard very slight, 

 1 inch 2 lines long ; 2nd D. and A. fins increase gradually 

 in breadth posteriorly, at their termination cut square, or at 

 right angles to the body ; no spines before the A. fin as in 

 those described by Mr. Couch (Linn. Trans., vol. xiv. p. 75) ; 

 tail obscurely rounded ; lateral line much incurvated for two- 

 thirds its length anteriorly; vent 10^ inches from snout; 

 " jaws and front of the vomer armed with several rows of 

 sharp card- or rasp-like teeth." 



D. 9—64; A. 54; P. 17 (6th longest) ; V. 1 ; C. 24, 

 reckoning all ; Br. 7» 



Colour of body lilac grey, becoming paler towards the belly ; 

 D. A. and C. fins lilac grey, terminated with black ; P. fin 

 dark grey ; V. fin greyish, towards extremity white ; inte- 

 rior of gill covers rich purple ; eyes silvery round the pupil, 

 thence to circumference brown. 



On dissection it proved a male, the milt weighing ll£ oz. 

 The stomach contained some Crustacea and two small whi- 

 tings (Merlanyus vulgaris). 



Since the above was written, I have learned that a specimen 



* The error of Pennant and Cuvier in considering the 1st D. ray the long- 

 est may perhaps be attributed to a want of due examination, as otherwise it 

 does so appear, and more especially in a dried specimen. 



