196 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHKS. 



The Red Gurnard is, in nil probability, scarcely to 

 I)(' considered as a stationary fish Avithin tlie limits of 

 the Scandinavian fauna. It is couinion on the coasts 

 of Great Bi-itain and Ireland and the west coast of 

 France"; but in Spain and Portugal Steindachner 

 found only solitary specimens in the fish-markets, 

 and in the Mediterranean, according to Bonai'aute'', 

 it is less common than in the Atlantic, where it also 

 becomes probably rarer the farther south we go, for 

 in Madeira, according to Lowe'', it is "rarior". It is the 

 oId^' true Tri(/Ia which has sometimes, it is stated, been 

 found on the American coast'', where this genus is else 

 represented l)y Prionotus, with teeth on the palatine 

 bones as well. According to Valenciennes it is highly 

 valued in Paris for the firmness and good flavour of 

 its flesh, and often l)i'ought to market. In Scotland, 

 according to Coucii', it is held in small esteem; liut in 

 England it is said to sell Avell, and only on account of 

 its inferior size to be regarded as inferioi" to the Tub- 

 fish and the Piper. "The usual habit," says Coucu, "of 

 this species, as of the whole family, is to kee]) near tlie 



bottom in moderately deep Avater; and thei'c they feed 

 on shellfish, cral)s and small fishes, with a variety of 

 other creatures inhabiting the Ijottom of the sea. They 

 also take a, bait freely, ])ut are caught in the greatest 

 abundance with trawls. I have found them with spaAvn 

 well developed at the opposite seasons of January, 

 Api'il and June." 



In Scandinavia, to the best of our knowledge, 

 only two specimens have been taken, and these at about 

 the same date in places not far apart. The one was 

 taken "about 1869" according to Collett, in Christi- 

 ania, Fjord, the other Avas caught on the 3rd of June, 

 1869, just oft" Stromstad, and preserved by Dr. C. 

 Cederstrom. The latter specimen now belongs to 

 Gothenburg Museum, and was lent us by the Keeper, 

 Dr. A. Stuxberg, to serve as the original of our figure. 

 As it lias been described minutely bj^ Professor Malm, 

 we shall here content ourselves with adding some of 

 its most characteristic points; and for the sake of 

 comparison, we append the corresponding measurements 

 made on specimens of the two following species. 



Lenj^th of the I)t)(ly from llx' mitlilk' of I]ic Ii|) nl" the snout lo the mlihlle of tlu* hind nniririn of the e:MM]:il lin, expressed 



in millimetres _ _ _ ___ 



Length of the hend to the tip of the operruliir fl:ip .,_ in % of the length of the hody 



„ ,, „ „ „ „ top of Ihe hind niiiriiln of the jji'enperciiluni ., „ ., „ „ „ „ ,, 



„ „ ,, snout,, ,, anterior mnrgin of the orbit „ ., .. ., ., ,, ,, ., 



„ „ „ ., ., .. anterior nostril _ _ ,. ,, ., ., ,, ., ,, 



Length of the body from the middle of the lip of the snout to tlie point of the peeloriil 



tins, when folded _ _ _ ,, „ ., „ „ ,, ,, ,, 



Length of the pectoral fins „ ,, ,, „ „ „ ,, ,, 



., ,. ventral ., „ „ „ „ „ „ „ „ 



Distance from the middle of the tip of the snout to the vent ., „ „ ., „ „ „ „ 



Length of the base of the first dorsal fin „ ,, ,, ,, „ „ „ „ 



J) ^» T) .7 .) ,) seconil .. ,. ,, ,. ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, ,, 



" " " " » " anal ,, — „ „ „ ,, ,, „ „ ,, 



Length of the seeond ray in the first dorsal fin ., „ „ ,, ,, ,, ., „ 



Greatest depth of the t)ody at the beginninu: "f the lirst dorsal fin „ „ „ „ ,, „ „ „ 



breadth ., „ „ ., „ „ „ „ „ ., „ „ „ „ „ „ ,. „ 



licast depth of the tail , „ „ ,, ., ,, „ ., 



Least breadth of the interorbital space , ., ., ,. ,. ., ., „ 



Longitudinal diameter of the eye ,, ., ,; „ ., „ „ ., 



" Cuv., Val., Hist. Nat. Poiis., vol. IV, p. 33. 

 * Icon. Fauna Italioa, Pesci, No. 96 (Fasc. XI, i). 58). 

 '■ Trans. Zool. Soc. London, vol, II (1841), \i. 175. 



'' V.\f,KNcmN.\KS, 1. (■., p. 54; Mtrotfff.t,, Trans. Lit. Phil. Soc. N. York, 

 .JOHIl., Gii.ii., 1. c. 



' Fisli. rSnt. /si., vol. 11. p. 19. 



T, p. 449 {Polynemu.i tviiliijitatii.^, acconling lo Day, 1. c); 



