, Retrospective Criticism, 743 



merable opportunities of knowing. If " old wife " be also a 

 name for the common wrass, the confusion will be doubled ; 

 for, with our fishermen, this name (old wife) is applied to the 

 fish described by myself in the Linnean Trans., vol. xiv. 

 p. 79.5 and which Dr. Fleming righdy supposes to be the 

 Pagrus lineatus of Montagu. I cannot agree with Mr. Yar- 

 rell in his confident assertion that the Pagrus lineatus of Mon- 

 tagu is the iSparus ^Sargus of Bloch ; at least, if the latter also 

 is the iSargus of Ray {Syn. Pise, p. 130. 136.) : in the latter, 

 " totum corpus annuli transversi fusci distinguant, Percae aut 

 Mormyri in modum." [" Brown transverse circles ornament 

 the whole body, in the manner of the perch or Mormyrus."] I 

 never saw any thing like this in the numerous specimens I 

 have examined, for hundreds of this species are taken in 

 Cornwall every summer. Again : — " Aurea ilia lunula inter 

 oculos Auratae propria caret : quod denique annulo nigro 

 prope caudam Spari aut Melanuri instar insigniatur." [" It is 

 wanting in the golden lunar mark between the eyes, which is 

 proper to the ^urata; and, lastly, may be distinguished 

 by a black circle near the tail, resembling that of a S^parus or 

 ikfelanurus."] Our old wife never has a black ring near the 

 tail ; and it does possess the semilunar mark behind the eye, 

 though not so nearly golden as in the 5parus auratus. The 

 only marks or lines I ever saw on its skin are short, narrow, 

 and longitudinal. 



The British species of the genus Zabrus (of Linnaeus) that 

 are, beyond question, distinct, are the following : — Common 

 wrass [L. Jlnca), cook {L, c6quus), three-spotted wrass {L, 

 trimaculatus), corkwing {L. gibbus ?), goldsinny {L, cornu- 

 biensis), scale-rayed wrass (L. luscus). The comber {L, 

 Comber L.) I have seen, but it is rare. Of the bimaculated 

 wrass {L. bimaculatus), yellow wrass {L, /ulis), hog wrass 

 (L. 5uillus), ballan (Z>. jBalanus), I am uncertain; of the 

 greenfish (L. lineatus), almost more than doubtful. 



Description of the Jaws of the common Siinfish, — [As we 

 have, at the end of Mr. Couch's second paper on fishes 

 (p. 315.), added an account of the short sunfish (Orthagoriscus 

 M61a Flem,, Tetrodon M51a of the older authors), we would 

 here introduce a few remarks by Mr. Couch, on the common 

 sunfish, which have long lain by us. The briefest remarks of 

 so original an observer as Mr. Couch are too valuable to be 

 lost. — J, Dr\ 



Common Sunjish, — This fish is arranged in the Linnaean 

 genus Tetrodon; but I have its jaws now before me, cleared 

 by putrefaction from all the soft parts, and they are undi- 

 vided, and end in an obtuse point. The jawbones are of a 



3b 4 



