14 



1839— Histoiro Natarello des Poissons, par M. le B"" Cuvier, . . . ; et par M. Valen- 

 cisnnas, . . . Tomo quatorzieme. A Paris, choz Pitois-Levraiilt etC«, . . . , 

 ld;}'J. [8° ed. xsii, 4G4 pp., 3 1. ; 1° ed. xx, 344 pp., 3 1.— pi. 389-420.] 



Suite du livro seizi&ino. — Labroidcs. 



Livro dix-.sepf.ifemii. — Des Malacopt^rygiens. Des Siluroides. 



[Xo west-coast species noticed ] 



The Zoology of Captain Bcecbey's Voyage; compiled from the collections and 

 notes made by Captain Beechey, the officers and naturalist of the Expe- 

 dition, during a Voyage to the Pacilic and Behriug's straits performed in 

 his M ijesty's Ship Blossom, under the command of Captain F. W. I3eechey, 

 E. N., F. E. S., &c., &c. in the years 1825, 26, 27, and 28. By J. Eichardson, 

 M. D., F. E. S., &c. ; N. A. Vigors, Esq., A. M., F. E. S., &c. ; G. T. Lay, Esq. ; 



E. T. Bennett, Esq., F. L. S., &c.; the Eev. W. Buckland, D. D., F. E. S., 



F. L. S., F. G. S., &c. and G. B. Sowerby, Esq. — Illustrated with npwards of 

 fifty finely coloured i^lates, by Sowerljy. — Published under the authority of 

 the Lords Com niissioners of the Admiralty. = London : Henry G. Bohn, 4, 

 York Street, Covent Garden.— MDCCCXXXIX. 



Fishes; by G. T. Lay, Esq., and E. T. Bennett, Esq., F, L. S.,&c. pp. 



41-75, pi. 15-23. 

 [^.sp.OhimceracolUei (p. 71, pi. 23). 



Tliis volume is interestinj; as being the first pablication in which any attempt has been 

 made to scieuti tic ally indicate the fishes of the coast. The "naturalist" of the expeditiou 

 was, however, incompetent for the task, and the notes taken evince that he was not 

 sufficiently versed in the rudiments of ichthyology to know what to observe. Xeverthe- 

 less, the notes have an interest, if not of importance, enough to transcribe what relates 

 to the regions in question: — 



"Oflf Saint Lawrence Island was caught, in the dredge a fish apparently allied to the 

 genus Liparis, Art. It had the 'ventral fins placed before the pectorals, but united and 

 continuous with them; aflat, raised, and rough tubercle, of nearly the diameter of an 

 English sixpence, was seated forward between the pectorals, its anterior part reaching as 

 far as the ventrals; this may bo of use in copulation : its cceca were pretty numerous.' — C. 

 The roughness of this tubercle renders it difficult to refer the fish to any known species; 

 but ic is probably nearly related to the Cyclopterus gelatinosus. Full., a, Liparis which is 

 known to inhabit the seas in which this was-'obtained. The existence of cceca removes it 

 from Lepadogaster, Gouan. 



"Kotzebuo Souod afforded a specimen of a new species of Ophidium, L., the Oph. stigma. 



" On the coast of California, a little to the northwards of the harbour of Sau Francisco, 

 an Ortluigoriscus was met with, apparently the Orth. mola., Bl. They swam about the 

 ship with the dorsal fiu frequently elevated above the surfiice." (p. 50.) 



" Oa the coast of California, at Monterey, Mr. Collie's notes mention the occurrence of 

 [1] a species of Sparus, of two Scombri, and of a Clupea. [-i] The first of the Scoynbrid^ is 

 apparently a Scomber, Cuv. ; it was 'smaller than the mackorol; it was marked on the 

 back with cross w.aved narrow bands of bliick and greenish blue; its first dorsal fin had 

 nine spines, and there were four small pinnules behind the second dorsal and the anal : it 

 had a simple air-bladder of moderate size, and an immeose number of cceca, with a stomach 

 extending the whole length of the abdomen, narrow, tajjering to the posterior part, and 

 covered throughout nearly its whole length with the milt. ? Its internal membrane forms 

 longitudinal folds; the intestines have three convolutions.' — C. This fish occurred in 

 shoals. [:ij The second species was met with but once. It is a Caranx, Cuv., of which 

 'the teeth in the upper maxillary are scarcely to be felt: the pectorals reach ne.irly to op- 

 posite the anus: a double narrow stripe of deeper blue than the general surface runs back- 

 wards on each side of the first dorsal tin to opposite its termination, the two parts being 

 separated by a broad line of dirty white, which has a narrow, dark-coloured line along its 

 middle: there are no distinct divisions in the anal and second dorsal fins: the air-bladder 

 is simple, and small, and extends from the faucea to the anus ; the stomach is much shorter 

 than in the pr.-ceding species; the cmca, although numerous, are less .so than in it, and the 

 iutestiue is folded in the same manner.' — U. From the nature of the colouring of this fish, 

 as described by Mr. Collie, there can be little doubt of its constituting a distinct species. 



