246 BALLAN WRASSE. Class IV. 



the head, with the richeft colors, fuch as blue, 

 red, and yellow. Moft of this genus arc fubject 

 to vary -, therefore care mull be taken not to mul- 

 tiply the fpecies from thefe accidental teints, but to 

 attend to the form which never alters. 



The Welch call this fifti Gwracb, or the old 

 woman \ the Fernch, la Vieille \ and the Englijh give 

 it the name of Old Wife, 



LAN. 



n6. Bal- /TpHIS is a kind of JVraJfe, fent from Scar- 



"*' borough by Mr. 'Travis, differing from the 

 other fpecies. They appear during fummer in 

 great fhoals off Filey- Bridge : the Iargeft weigh 

 about five pounds. 



It was of the form of the common wratfe, only 

 between the dorfal fin and the tail was a confider- 

 able finking : above the nofe was a deep fulcus : 

 on the fartheft cover of the gills was a depreflion 

 radiated from the center. 



It had only four branchioftegous rays. 



The dorfal fin had thirty-one rays, twenty fpiny, 

 eleven foft; the laft branched, and much longer 

 than the fpiny rays. 



The pectoral fins had fourteen ; the ventral 

 fix ; the firft of which was fhort and fpiny : the 

 anal twelve; the three firft fpiny, the nine others 

 branched and foft, 



The 



