GEN. LaBRUS. DONOVANS LABRUS. 293 



be later in spring further north, as he obtained & 

 fine specimen taken in a salmon-net in the Forth in 

 August, which was full of roe nearly ripe. As an 

 article of food, the estimate in which this fish is 

 held seems to be various as its colours. We have 

 already quoted from high authority that the flesh is 

 white, firm, and universally esteemed as agreeable 

 food ; but Dr. Parnell states, that though occasion- 

 ally brought to the Edinburgh market, it is little 

 sought after, the flesh being white, soft, and very 

 insipid : other accounts lie between these two ; and 

 much is probably owing to the diff*erences of season, 

 and possibly of locality. 



(Sp. 82.) L. Donovani. Donovan's Labrus. The 

 Green-streaked Wrasse. Great doubt seems to 

 exist as to the propriety of this being catalogued as 

 a species distinct from the preceding, M. Valen- 

 ciennes apparently being more than doubtful regard- 

 ing it. It rests upon the authority of the Naturalist 

 whose name it bears ; and solely on the colouring, 

 the other external markings being precisely the 

 same. Mr. Donovan states that it is an occasional 

 visitor on the coast of Cornwall, where it is known 

 by the name of the Green-fish : it usually appears 

 in summer, and is regarded by the fishermen in 

 those parts as the rarest species of its kind. The 

 specimen from which the description was taken 

 was seven inches long, of a fine meadow-green 

 colour, darker on the back, lighter on the sides, and 

 yellowish green under the throat and belly : the 

 muzzle is rather long, the nape slightly depressed. 



