SCORP.ENA SCROFA. 113 



sirable separately to define them, might not the observation of isolated in- 

 dividuals lead possibly to their erroneous distinction into species. That 

 which may be called the normal sort, since it comprehends the largest 

 full-sized fishes from fifteen to twenty inches long, and which, there- 

 fore, constitutes the variety a, is deeper in proportion to its length than 

 the var. |3 : with the belly somewhat prominent or corpulent. The head, 

 in consequence, seems shorter ; and the eyes, though varying in this re- 

 spect, are generally somewhat larger. The colours are altogether lighter 

 or paler, often as if faded or deteriorated : the red approaches more to 

 scarlet or orange, and the dark spots or bars of the fin-rays are faint or 

 few, and even sometimes wanting. Such fishes are in general, but not uni- 

 formly females ; and full-sized old or aged fishes of eighteen or twenty 

 inches long, almost invariably present these characters. They are said 

 to be caught in deeper water and further from the shore than the darker 

 coloured, ruddy, or vermilion sort to be presently described, and hence 

 are called Carneiro de Fora by the fishermen. ^S*. lutea of Risso seems 

 to have been founded on some extreme state of this variety. 



The other sort, var. j3, is a more slender or shallow fish : Avith the 

 ventral line straight from the throat to the anal fin. The eye again 

 varies in size, but is generally smaller. The head appears much thicker 

 and longer, in consequence of its length greatly exceeding the depth ; 

 but it is not actually longer or thicker in proportion to the whole length 

 of the fish. The colours are altogether darker : the red is a deep ruddy, 

 cherry, or vermilion tint ; and the orange and brown spots and mark- 

 ings are more clear and distinct. Such fishes are sometimes called by 

 the fishermen Carneiro de Rolo, being caught nearer the shore or over 

 sunken rocks, in shallower water than the others, which may account 

 partly for their greater intensity of colour. I have seen them of both 

 sexes and at all seasons : but of never more than fifteen inches in length, 

 and they are more generally male fishes. In some respects they approach 

 S. porcus, L., but are not to be confounded with that species ; and if 

 any ichthyologist feel tempted to consider them as equally distinct from 

 the S. Scrofa a, I can only add, that after long investigation, my 

 own observations and opinions perfectly accord with the following re- 

 marks of MM. Cuvier and Valenciennes. After describing accurately 

 the colours of the var. a from a Sicilian example brought by M. 

 Biberon, these authors have remarked : — " il parait qu'a un certain 

 age et en certaines saisons cette scorpene a des teintes plus jaunes ou 

 plus brunes. Plus les individus sont jeunes, plus les marbrures et les 

 rivulations qui varient le fond de leurs couleurs sont nombreuses, fines, 

 et di verses ; plus aussi leurs lambeaux charnus" — (and I may add their 

 spines or prickles in appearance also) — " sont a proportion grands et de- 

 chiquetes." — Cuv. et Val. iv. 2.94. 



