WRASSES. 189 



None of our native fishes can compete with the 

 Labri for richness and variety of colour ; though 

 in elegance of form and changeable opaline splen- 

 dour, the Mackerel is still their superior. Orange 

 and blue of great brilliancy are the prevalent 

 colours, generally arranged in stripes, but inter- 

 changed with green, lilac, and other colours. 

 The rich tints of blue are considered to be in 

 some measure dependent on the health and high 

 condition of the fish ; and are liable to vanish 

 with remarkable rapidity when the body is im- 

 mersed in spirits. But the bright colours may 

 be retained, as it seems, by a different mode of 

 preservation; for Donovan speaks of specimens 

 of the rare and lovely Lahrus lineatus, in his pos- 

 session, in which the natural colours were ad- 

 mirably well retained. The skin in this case had 

 been removed, and divested of the flesh with 

 great care, while perfectly fresh, and then well 

 prepared. 



BALL AN WRASSE. 



The largest species we have on our shores is 

 the Ballan Wrasse {Lahrus maculatus, Block), 

 of which the rare little fish just mentioned is, 



