LAMPRIS LAUTA. 35 



fishermen are eloquent in commendation of its splendour in tlie water ; 

 and by their name, intend to note it as " the pink" of beauty.* 



Though not a common fish, it is by no means rarely brought into 

 the market during spring ; and is perfectly well known to all the fisher- 

 men. Its flesh is considered superior to that of the Tunny ; selling in 

 the market at a somewhat higher price for the pound. Formerly, I am in- 

 formed, it Avas held in such esteem, that every fish taken was obliged by 

 law to be carried to the governor of the Island, without whose licence it 

 could not be sold in the market. 



This fish is taken with an ordinary bait, a whole Ca valla (iNIackerel), 

 or Chicharro (Madeiran Horse-Mackerel), at no great distance from the 

 shore, but at a depth of from fifty to one hundred fathoms. It is taken 

 only in the early Tunny-season. 



The accompanying figure is reduced from a full-sized drawing of the 

 adult individual first above described, measuring three feet four inches and 

 a half in length. 



The nature of the fin-rays in Lampris^ amongst others, considerably 

 affects the verbal precision of the names employed for the two great divi- 

 sions of the Fishes into Acanthopterygians and Malacopterygians. This 

 fish is, strictly speaking, soft-rayed ; whilst its affinities are unequivocally 

 Acanthopterygious. 



* The Pink or Carnation (" Crave,") is, with the Portuguese florilinguists, the emblem of gentility 

 or beauty. 



