DUBLIH NATUBAL HISTOBT SOCOCETT. 121 



tity of the Carcinns maroas and Pagnrns Bernhardus ; and the C. Gracnlandieot 

 was much distended with rather a larfi^e-sized specimen of Portonus marmorena. 

 The marbled swimming crab is very frequent in parts of Dingle Harbour, and I 

 have dredged very fine specimens. I also observed in the specimens of C. scor- 

 pius taken in deep water off Ventr^, numerous fragments of, and some perfect, 

 Portunus pu&illus, showing the desire of these voracious fish in seeking the Crus- 

 tacea as rood. I shall reserve for the publication of our Proceedings the more 

 detailed notes of the specific distinctions of Granlandicus, in the number of and 

 peculiarities of its spines, and of the rays of its fins, but will here give fully the 

 character of its rich markings, as observed and taken when the colours were 

 brilliant in the recent state. Shades of the head of a Vandyke brown, the 

 deeper umber, beautifully glazed over with a pinkish or violet tinge — the dorsal 

 and above the lateral line more or less shaded and spotted towards the tail, and 

 having a line of numerous papilla) or tubercles (altogether absent in C. scor- 

 pius) below the lateral line ; large and irregularly formed white spots mark the 

 sides, shaded around with deep carmine and a rich chocolate brown, the tinge 

 towards the belly passing into rich orange ; the belly is also marked along the 

 line to the tail with a row of roundish white spots. Pectoral fins beautifully 

 shaded and barred, spotted with white, the terminal portions and margins of a 

 rich orange, ventral fins richly and regularly barred with white and deep rich 

 cinnamon-brown, inclining to orange, resembling and emulating in beauty the 

 rich colouring of the tiger moth. Irides of a deep golden yellow, tinged and 

 marked with orange. The posterior portions of the rays of the pectoral and 

 ventral fins are rough, with ciliated or minute spinous processes — these are not 

 present either in Scorpius or Bubalis, the rays in those species being perfectly 

 smooth on both sides. It is much to be regretted that the colours of such beau> 

 tiful fish cannot be retained by any known preparation. I have found that, by 

 clearing the stomach and intestinal canal, gently and thoroughly cleansing the 

 fish in tepid water, and then placing it in clear proof spirit, sealing the vessel 

 at once, that the colours are retained for some time, but, if taken out for exami- 

 nation, the colours will quickly fade away from the specimen after again being 

 placed in the spirit. Many of the fish captured in the trawl nets are brought to 

 the deck in full vigour of life ; and several being tenacious of existence, as in 

 the Cottus, show their brilliant colours, and the expansion of the pectoral and 

 dorsal fins to great advantage for the observer. The brilliancy, however, of 

 the Sebastes, and of the Wrasses, it scarcely retained even in the transit from 

 Dingle to Dublin. The Cottus Grrenlandicus is admirably figured and de- 

 scribed in Richardson's "Zoology of British America," known as the Greenland 

 bull-head, the Kaniock, and Kanininack of the Grecnlanders. It appears to 

 have been known to Bloch, for, in his account of Le Scorpion de Mer, he con- 

 founds it with that species, and supposes the difference of marking to arise from 

 the difference of sex. Of bis species he describes the abdomen as white in the fe- 

 male, and yellow in the male, with white spots, and, according to M. Tonning, 

 the latter of so vivid a yellow as to look like gold. In the males the pectoral 

 fins are larger than in the females, so that the sexes are easily distinguishable. 

 The pectoral fins are described as being of an orange yellow, barred and spot- 

 ted — ventral fins long, and, in the males, of a carnation-red, spotted with white. 

 Its main occurrence is in the northern seas and in America, and especially on 

 the coasts of Greenland and Mewfoundland. The C scorpius is known in Po- 

 merania as the Seemurre or Kuorham, names given on account of the noise it 

 makes when taken from the water and pressed with the hand. This has led to 

 a species, inhabiting the Indian seas and Brazil, to be termed Le^rondier, or 

 the grumbler or grunter (Cottus gruuniens). 



The Cottus Grsnlandicus exhibited by Mr. Andrews was a very fine and 

 perfect specimen, and still retained in the spirit much of its brilliancy of colour- 

 ing ; it was taken in Dingle Harbour, in the middle of February. It is very sin> 

 gular, the meeting of this fish of northern latitudes in the Harbour of Dingle, as 



