18 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



among the seaweed which grows so luxuriantl)' here. 

 Its food seems to consist exclusively of the smaller spe- 

 cies of crustaceans, worms, mollusks, etc., fragments of 

 which are found in its stomach. It rises to the surface 

 only when attracted thither by some prey, and as soon 

 as this is caught, it again descends to the bottom. At 

 the ai))>roach of danger it takes refuge under the jetty, 

 in a cleft of the rock, or under some coarse-leaved 

 seaweed. In the winter it withdraws into deeper -water; 

 at any rate it does not occur near shore at this time 

 of year. It cannot, however, be very far away, for on 

 the 12th January, 1838, v. Wright found 5 specimens 

 in the gullet and stomach of Lams glaucus. In Sweden 

 it begins to spawn in the middle of June, at which 

 time Fries found this species in Bohuslan ready to spawn, 

 or later. In the middle of July Sundevall has found 

 newly-formed eggs in the ovaries. There is evidence 



tliat in other countries it spawns in April and May" 

 as well as in July*. Females with running roe occur of 

 a length as small as only 86 ram. According to Fries, 

 the ovaries resemble those of the Sti-iped Wrasse, but 

 according to Sundevall's description, thej^ are poste- 

 riorly united into one. The roe is very fine (i. e. the 

 eggs numerous) and yellowish, l)ut quite transparent at 

 the time of depositing. 



Where there is opportunity for other more remu- 

 nerative fishing, the Goldsinny is held in ikj very high 

 esteem. Still its flesh is white and firm, and would 

 make a dainty dish if one availed oneself of it. It 

 is often caught in large quantities in nets cast for 

 other fishes. From the pier-heads in Bohushln it 

 may easily be taken with a small hook and a bait of 

 periwinkle. 



(Fries, Smitt.) 



THE GILT-HEAD OR CONNOR (sw. skarsnultran or skottan). 



LABRUS (CRENILABRUS) MELOPS. 



Plate II, fig. 3. 



Back of the head naked. Number of scales in the lateral line less than 40. Above the lateral line 4 (sometimes 

 5) rows of scales. Superior part of the interoperculum for the most part scaly. Cheeks ivith large scales in 5 

 suborbital roivs. Number of spinous rays in the anal fin 3. Anal fin comparatively long, the least depth of the 



tail measuring at most ^/^ of its base". 



R /„■ 1- D'' — • A' ^ ■ 



pf 2/ . y 

 •I • /l3i ' ■ 



■ \ (J. .r+lH-.r; 



L. Lat. 34!'. 



Syn. Labrns melops, LiNN^us, Syst. Nat., ed. X, p. 28G; Cuv. Val., 

 (Crenilabrus), Hist. Nat. Poiss., XIII, p. 167; Kroyer, Damn. 

 Fiske, I, p. 521; Sundevall, (Labrus) Ukand. Fiskar, ed. I, 

 p. 182; NiLSSON, (Labrus, Crenilabrus), Skand. Fn., Fisk., 

 p. 270; GOnther, (Crenilabrus), Brit. Mus. Cat., Fish., IV, 

 p. 80; Malm, Gbijs, Boh. Fn., p. 477; Day, Fish. G:t Brit., 

 Irel., I, p. 260; Mob., Hcke. Fische der Ostsee, p. 70; 

 CoLLRTT, N. Mag. f. Naturv., B:d 29 (1884), p. 73; Lillje- 

 BORG (Labrus, Crenilabrus), iSv., Norg. Fiskar, p. 436. 

 Lutjanus norivegicns. Block, Naturg. AusL Fische, V, p. 11, 

 tab. CCLVI; Nilsson (Labrus), Prodr. Ichth. Scand., p. 

 76; Fries et Wrioht, -Skand. Fiskar, gd. I, tab. 44; Cuv., 

 Val. (Crenilabrus), 1. c. p. 176. 



Perca maculosa, Retzius, Fn. Suec. Lin., p. 337. 



Labrus Rone, Ascanius, Ic. rer. nat., II, p. 6, tab. XIV; 

 NiLSsoN Prodr., p. 77; Cuv., Val., 1. c, p. 172. 



Labrus tinea, Turton (Yarrell); Labrus turdus, Mullee, 

 Crenilabrus Pennantii, Cuv., Val., Labrus cornubicus, Gme- 

 LiN (Yarrell); Crenilabrus Donouani, Cuv., Val.; Creni- 

 labrus Couchii, Cuv., Val.; Labrus gibbus (Pennant) Gme- 

 lin (Cuv., Val.): vide GCnther et Day, 11. cc. 



Note. Valenciennes was the first to state that the fish which 

 LiNN^us had described as a Mediterranean species under the name 

 Labrus melojis, also occured in the North Sea and off the coast of 

 Denmark. But Kroyer was the first to prove that this same fish had 

 long been known to the Scandinavian faunists and described by them 

 as a Scandinavian species. Thus he was able to prove that all the 

 names given above really belong to one single species. Sundevall 

 gave the additional information that the typo-specimen of LiNNiEUs's 



" Vid. Day 1. c., p. 265. 



* Vid. Kroyer 1. c, p. 555. 



' In 5 measured specimens tlie least depth of the body was on an average 68, f) % of the base of the anal fin, the minimum being 



63.5 %\ the maximum 74.2 %. 



, c ■ 15 16 14—17 



" Sometimes „ or -. According to Day (1. c. p. 262). 



9 1+8 " 8—9 ' 



e « f '^ 3 3 

 ' nometimes — or or . 



10 2 + 7 1+9 



Z Sometimes 2 + 12, sometimes 2 + 12 on one side of the body and 2 + 13 on tlie other. 

 " 32—35 according to Day. 1. c. 



