10 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



there is no special method of fishing for the Ballan 

 Wrasse, but it is generally taken by accident on the 

 'dorje-JiooU (a kind of hook used in cod-fishing) or in 

 the herring-nets. «The 'd5rje-hook',» says Malm (1. c), 

 «may be used to the best advantage at a dejjth of from 

 12 to 18 fathoms beneath sheer clifts with piles of 

 stones lying at their base. One must avoid drawing 

 in the line as soon as the fish bites, for in that 

 case one generally loses both hook and fish, as the 

 wrasse darts into its hiding-place among the rocks or 

 into a fissure of the clift' the moment it has taken the 

 bait. Only b}' cautiously taking in a little line now 

 and then one can tire out and eventuallj^ secure the 

 fish. By this method I have often seen a fisherman 

 take dozens of Ballan Wrasses a foot in length, and an 

 occasional Striped Wrasse, within a few hours.» Else, if 

 one is anxious to obtain specimens of this fish, a small 

 seine may be used \\'ith the greatest effect, for in a favour- 

 able spot one may often secure several at the first haul. 

 In Bohuslan the most common name for this fish 

 is BergsHuUra, but, as some of the smaller species 



which have no popular name are included under this 

 appellation, we have thought it best, in order to avoid 

 confusion, to adopt the other name used in the same 

 district. In Norway the fish is called Bergc/ylte, B erg- 

 gait, and Soahhorre (sea-perch): Ascanius gives So- 

 karpe as the Danish name, and at KuUen it is said 

 to be called Haf sharp (both of the latter names = 

 sea-carp). 



The figure given above is painted from a speci- 

 men caught in Bohuslan in the middle of July, im- 

 mediately after its capture. The colouring of almost 

 all fishes changes very rapidly after death, and after a 

 short interval the appearance of the fish is so altered 

 that it is scarcely recognizable. In most of the coloured 

 plates included in this Avork the natural colours of the 

 fish during life ^vill be given as correctly as art can 

 reproduce them. It may be that many, who have only 

 seen the fish after death, ■will accuse the artist of having 

 flattered nature, though he has only tried faithfully to 

 represent her. 



(Fries, Smitt.) 



THE STRIPED WRASSE (sw. blasnultban). 

 LABEUS MIXTUS. 



Plate II, figs. 1 and 2. 



No scales on flie back of the head or forehead. Number of scales in the lateral line more than 40. Above the 

 lateral line at least 6 rows of scales. Scales on only the posterior part of the inter operculum. The cheeks covered 

 tvith small scales: at least 6 suborbital rows of scales. Number of spinous rays in the dorsal fin at most 18. 

 Length of the snout at least as great as the greatest thickness of the body or the postorbital length of the head. 

 Least depth of the tail less than Vio «/ '^'^ base of the anal fin". Streaks on the head blue. 



cf dark green, irith blue stripes., the fins and belly 



yellow spotted with blue. 

 ? minium red, tvith 3 black s^iots on the posterior 



part of the back. 



16—18 3 



A', br. 5; D. 



1 + 13 1. 121. U' 



.-1. 



1 1. 2 + 10 1. 9 1. 11' 



P. 



-; V. \'.; V. ic +11 + .r; L. lal. 40 — 47. 



14(15) 



6'i/n. Labrns ossi/agiis, Linn/EUS, 6')/st. iVai., ed. X, p. 286. 

 Labrns exoletus, Retzius, Fn. Suec. Lin., p. 335. 

 Lnbru.i speciosus, Fabriciu.s, Dan. Vid. Selsk. Skr. 1809 et 



1810, p. 109. 

 Labrns dispar. Fries et Wright, Skand. Fh-k:, ed. 1, tab. 37 



et 38; EkstrOm, Gbgs Vet. Vitt. Samh. Haudl. 1850, p. 38; 



Malm, ibid., p. 90. 

 Labrtis mixlus, Krdyer, Ihvun. Fiske, I, p. 496 et 604; 



SuNDEVALL, Skand. Fid:, ed. 1, |i. 160; Nii.sson, .'^fkand. 



Fn., Fisk., p. 265; Collett, Christ. Vid. Selsk. Forli. 1874, 



Tilla>g.sh., p. 91; ibid. 1879, n:r 1, p. 61; Malm, Gbgs, 



Doll. Fn., p. 477; Lill.ierorg, Sv., Norg. Fiskar, I, p. 



429. 

 CJ^: Labrns mixtus, Linn.eus, 1. c, p. 287 (ex Willughby, p. 322 



et Artedi, Gen., p. 34; Syn., p. 57); Cuv., Val., Hist. Nat. 



Poiss., XIII, p. 43, tab. 369. 

 Labrus cipruleus, Ascanius, Ic. rer. nat., call. II, p. 5, tab. 



XII. 

 Striped Wrasse, Pennant, Brit. ZooL, III, p. 218, tab. XLV; 



— Labrus variegatiis, Gmelin, Si/st. Nat. Lin., I, p. 1294; 



— Labrus vittatiis, Walbaum, Ichth. Art., Ill, p. 256; — 

 Labrus lineattis. Risso, Iclitli. Nice, p. 220; Nilsson, Prodr. 

 Ichth. Scand., p. 75. 



$: Labrus carneus, Ascanius, 1. c, p. 6. tab. XIII; Nilsson, 

 Prodr., 1. c. 

 Trimaculated Wrasse, Pennant, 1. c, p. 218, tab. XLVI: 



— Labrus trimacidatus, Gmelin, 1. c, Cuv., Val., 1. c. 

 p. 58. 



" In 6 measured specimens tlic least depth of the body was on an average 63.3 % of the base of the anal fin; the minimum was 57.6 

 'i\ (he innxiinuni 68.1 ?». 



