356 Mr. Thompson on Fishes new to Ireland. 



and the body above and below it, tinged with gold, remainder 

 of the P., the D., C, and A. fins greyish blacky the last be- 

 coming lighter posteriorly. V. fins white, tinged with very 

 pale flesh colour. 



This specimen accords with the description extracted by 

 Mr. Yarrell from the ' Fauna Italica/ with one exception — 

 " the rays of the spiny D. fin [are there stated to be] longer 

 than half the depth of the body." Vol. i. p. 208. In this indi- 

 vidual they are only ^ of its depth. In another specimen 20 

 inches long, the 1st and 2nd D. rays are equal, and If inch 

 long, the depth of the fish being about 5 inches. In an in- 

 dividual of 11 inches the 2nd D. ray is equal to one-half the 

 depth, and in one of 10 inches is as 1 to 2J. Owing to this 

 species varying very considerably in depth, as elsewhere shown, 

 this must necessarily be a very uncertain character. 



From the statistical surveys of counties and other sources, 

 we learn that mullet are taken in suitable localities around 

 the whole coast of Ireland ; but whether they be all of one spe- 

 cies remains a question for future investigation. 



Gobius gracilis, Jenyns, Slender Goby. — Upon exami- 

 nation of eighteen specimens — seven from the coast of Down, 

 six from Louth, and five from Cork — of the Gobius which until 

 lately has been considered G. minutus, I found one individual 

 from Down and another from Louth to be the G. gracilis of 

 Mr. Jenyns, (p. 387.) These specimens are distinguished from 

 those of the G. minutus by having the ee rays of the 2nd dorsal 

 longer ; these rays also gradually increasing in length instead 

 of decreasing, the posterior ones being the longest in the fin ;" 

 and by having the Ci rays of the anal in like manner longer 

 than in the G. minutus-" also in 6i the anal and ventral fins, 

 which are dusky, approaching to black in some places, instead 

 of plain white, as in the G. minutus." In addition to this differ- 

 ence in the colour of the fins, my specimens of G. gracilis have 

 more black on the body generally than those of G. minutus, 

 being so different in this respect as to have attracted my at- 

 tention when they were first obtained. 



Crenilabrus rupestris, Selby, Jago's Goldsinny. — See 

 Zoological Proceedings for 1837, P- 5 7, and Magazine of Zo- 

 ology and Botany, vol. ii. p. 445. 



