ORTHAGORISCUS MOLA. 235 



Art. VI. — Description of a Specimen of the Ortliagoriscus mola 

 (Sun Fish), caught off the Irish Coast in June, 1839, and pre- 

 served in the Museum of the Natural History Society of Dublin. 

 By O'Bryen Bellingham, M.D., &c., &c.* 



The Orthagoriscus mola, (the Tetraodon mola and Diodon 

 mola of former writers), the short sun-fish of English au- 

 thors, so very rarely occurs upon our coasts, and the descrip- 

 tions and figures, more particularly the latter, given by 

 naturalists, vary so much, that I have drawn up a short 

 account of the very fine specimen before me, and at the dis- 

 section of which I assisted. 



It was caught off the coast of Acklow, by some fishermen 

 belonging to Kingstown, on the 29th of last June, by means 

 of a noose thrown over it, while apparently asleep upon 

 the surface of the water ; from them it was purchased by 

 T. Dixon, Esq., a member of the council of this Society, 

 and by him has been most liberally presented to our Museum. 

 It has been, I need hardly observe, admirably preserved by 

 Mr. Glennon. 



The fishermen stated, that when seized, it made several 

 ineffectual attempts to escape, and splashed the water in a 

 furious manner, throwing up great quantities with its tail. 



The majority of the specimens of this fish which have been 

 taken off the British coast, have been observed floating upon 

 the surface of the water. Mr. Couch says that in calm wea- 

 ther it often mounts to the surface, and lies, probably asleep, 

 with its head partly above water, presenting the broad surface 

 of one side to view, and floating with the tide. It seems, 

 says Dr. Neill (speaking of one brought to him), " to be a stu- 

 pid dull fish ; it made little or no attempt to escape, but 

 allowed one of the sailors to put his hands under it, and lift 

 it fairly into the boat :" Mr. Couch, however, says that he has 

 known it to make powerful efforts to escape, just as the fisher 

 men describe this one to have done. 



The Orthagoriscus mo/a belongs to the order Gymnodontes, 

 the characters of which are " no true teeth, but the jaws are 

 covered with a lamellated substance resembling ivory, either 

 entire or divided in the middle by a suture : opercle small ; 

 branchiostegous rays five upon each side, deeply concealed," 

 and to the genus Orthagoriscus, \\ivf\vvc\i "the jaws are undi- 

 vided, body very much compressed, short, truncated behind, 



' Read at a meeting of the Society, Friday, April 3, 1840. Communi- 

 cated by the author to the ' Mag. Nat. Hist.' 



