4 THE FISHES OF BANFFSHIRE, 



The Scad, or Horse-Mackerel, {Caranx tracJmnis,) or, as it is temied here, 

 the ' Buck Mackerel,' is not very numerous, and is very seldom used as an 

 article of food. Its appearance here is generally about the time of herring- 

 fishing. I once found a rather strange variety of this species. It was about 

 the usual size ; but was all over of a most beautiful golden yellow, finely 

 striped and variegated with numerous lines of the brightest blue ; except 

 the fins, which were of the finest carmine. 



The Dory. (Zeusfaber.) There are sevei-al stones here of the Dory having 

 been taken on our coast ; but I cannot answer for their authenticity, 

 although I have given it a place in my list. 



The OiDah, or King-fish, [Lampris guttalus,) has occurred on several occa- 

 sions ; as off Troup-Head in 1829, at Black Pots in 1838, on the shore near 

 Portessy in 18i4, and at Buckie during the present summer of 1854. 



The Gray Mullet. {Mngil capi t .) I am only aware of two specimens of 

 this Mullet, which have been procured T\'ithin our limits ; the one at Gar- 

 denstown in 1827, and the other at Cullen three years later. 



Montagu's Blenny. {Blennius Montagui.) One specimen taken from the 

 stomach of a Haddock, in 1853. 



The Gattoniginous Blenny. {Blennius gattorugine) I have met with this 

 species only on two occasions. 



Yarrell's Blenny. {Blennius Yarrellii.) Rarely met with. I have a splendid 

 specimen in my collection, which was found cast on shore by one of my 

 girls, as she was passing between Gardenstown and Crovie, during the eai'ly 

 part of 1834, and already mentioned in The Naturalist. 



The Shanny, or Smooth Blenny, {Blennius jilwlis,) the Spotted Gunnel, 

 (Ounnellus vulgaris,) and the Viviparous or Green Blenny, {Znarces vivipanis,) 

 are all to be met with amongst the low-lying rocks along our line of shore. 

 A female of the last-named species, which I had procured for the purpose of 

 preserving, and which I had put into a basin of fresh-water, to depriAe it of 

 life, surprised me a good deal, — though, at the same time, I was very Avell 

 pleased at the occurrence, — by giving birth to a numerous progeny, but 

 which all died soon after being extnided. One strange circumstance which 

 I obsei-ved Avas, that they did not all come into the world after the same 

 fashion. Some came with the tail first, and others with the head. They 

 had, each of them, two small bladder-like appendages, Avhich Avere attached 

 one to each side, betAvixt the head and the vent. 



The Wolf-fish. {Anarrhicus lupus.) Frequent, but seldom used as food. I 

 find them pretty often cast on shore dead, after a storm ; Avhich Avould seem 

 to indicate that their habitat is not ahvays in deep water. 



The Black Goby. {Gobius niger.) These inhabiting the rocky parts of the 



coast, become, at times, the prey of the Haddock, &c. Though they do not 



^eera to be numerous in this arm of the sea, I meet with them occasionally 



in the stomachs of fishes. 



fTo he continued.) 



