THE TOP-KNOTS. 



but equally distinctly from the mouth being turned 

 towards the left hand in place of to the right. It is a 

 remarkable fact that these fishes thus looking towards 

 the left are possessed of much larger mouths than 

 the dexter-gazing families ; and being thus enabled 

 to dispose of a larger and more important class of 

 creatures as food, they are fatter, richer, and much 

 more delicate eating. Never reaching any great size, 

 they do not seem to have attracted much attention 

 on our coasts, and are perhaps seldom enticed by 

 the ordinary baits employed. Those that have come 

 into our possession have almost invariably been 

 taken with the sein net, so that they were frequent- 

 ing shallow water. They were also captured off 

 -either rocky or gravelly ground, and not from smooth, 

 sandy, or muddy ground, the resort of the Flounder 

 family. The only specimen otherwise obtained was 

 caught among the seaware on the verge of a rocky 

 island in Loch Linnhe, where it had apparently been 

 driven hurriedly by the keel of our advancing boat. 

 On the whole we cannot consider these fish uncommon 

 with us, while they are all markedly similar in 

 marking and colouring, the latter being rich in tone. 

 We have taken them heavy with roe in June and 

 July, at which season they ai3parently spawn. 

 The roe is abundant, and of large size compared 

 with the size of the fish. The difficulties con- 

 nected with the identification of the species of 

 Top-Knots have been too great for us, with our 

 limited means of reference. From the general shape 

 of our specimens we would conclude they were 

 Rliomhus punctatus, Gun., Muller's Toj)-Knot, the 

 large mouth, and the proportions, clearly pointing 

 to this fish as figured in Couch. The specimens 

 have invariably a filament formed of one or two 

 rays of the dorsal fin being lengthened next the 

 head and separated from the dorsal, and this is 

 supposed to be a characteristic of Block's Top- 

 Knot, PhrynoiJiGinhus nniinaculatus, Gun., JRhonibim 

 punctatus of Yarrell. But Couch remarks : — " I 



