LKSSEU DRAGONET. 



281 



distinf^uisli Ijetweeii thciii. The male wliidi Fhiks ;iik1 

 V. WiiiciiT ohtaiiied in lioliiisiiin, mikI which the\ kept 

 alive tor some tiiiu' iiiulcr their own obsei'vatioii, is thus 

 described hv the foniiei': 



"Above <^reeiiish yellow, ntid below a vei'v pale 

 f^ame-^■ello^v. The whole oF the l)aek mid the ii|)]ier 

 ])art of the head tlucklx strewn with small, irregular, 

 ferruginous spots of different size and shape. Along 

 tiie sides of the body a fe\v irregular rows of round 

 spots, partly light l)iue and parti\ l)la:ckish brown, most 

 of them being surrounded liv a greenisli ring. Lips 

 and the sides of the gill-cover u ith a few short, light 

 blue l)ands and large spots. Iris greenish, with a light 

 flame-yellow ring, darker in the middle, next the pupil, 

 which is tinged with blue. First dorsal tin of a very 

 light, grayish colour, witii somewhat darker rays, each 

 ending in a snow-white tip. On the membrane between 

 the tirst thi'ee ravs three, dark green spots, one above 

 another, and lietween them two others, which are snow^- 

 white; two more spots of a snow-white colour surround 

 the hind margin of the middle dark green spot; be- 

 tween each pair of ravs in the rest of the tin two dark 

 green spots, the upper oblong and elongated into a 

 ])oint, and two, \ery small, round, snow-white spots; 

 behind the fourth ray only one spot of each colour. 

 Second dorsal tin very light and transparent, changing 

 colour according to the background on which it appears. 

 (Jn this tin four transverse rows of round, green spots, 

 containing a darker centre; the lowest row the darkest, 

 the others l^ecoming gradually lighter as they approach 

 the uppei' margin of the tin; these spots are so ar- 

 ranged that one spot in each row lies between each 

 pair of rays. But besides these fairly distinct, ocellated 

 spots we find five rows of more indistinct, snow-white 

 spots, each encircled by a yellow ring, the lowest four 

 rows being in a line with the green spots, there being 

 a wiiite spot in front of each of the latter. The fifth 

 row lies close to the upper margin of the fin, and con- 

 tains the .most distinct rings, liut only a slight trace 

 of the green, ocellated spots. Anal fin without spots, 

 whitish at the base and shading into violet towards 

 the margin. Caudal fin whitish, with scattered, feiTU- 

 ginous spots at the base, yellowish, longitudinal spots 

 in the middle, and light blue s])ots along the tip. Pec- 

 toral fins whitish, shading into yellow, with yellow 

 rays, marked with russet spots, which form broken 



transverse bands across the fins. At the base of these 

 fins a few, blackish brown, round spots and light blue 

 streaks. Ventral fins flaine-yello\\' at the base, a hand- 

 some light green towards tlie tip, and blue at tiie mar- 

 gin. At tlie base of these fins some small, roiuid, 

 scattered, snow-white, ocellated spots." 



The coloration of the female, according to Bona- 

 I'Aiai:, is essentially the same; but in the females of 

 this .species, as in those of tlie preceding one, the hind 

 part, at least, of the membrane of the first dorsal fin 

 is black. 



The Lesser Dragonet is one of the rarest Scandi- 

 na\iaii species. In the Meditei'ranean, which is ])i-o- 

 bably its true home, it is all the commoner". In re- 

 cent times (1867) a specimen was taken b}- Gwyn 

 elEi-FHEYS- off tiie Hebrides, at a depth of 80 or 90 

 fathoms. Up to that time it was a notable peculiarity 

 that this Mediterranean species should also belong to 

 the Scandinavian fauna. About 1830 it was found in 

 the Sound, off Landski-ona, l)y Dr. Sciiagerstrom, and 

 in Gullraar Fjord, off Fiskebackskil, by Professor Fries. 

 The three specimens from the tieighbourhood of Bergen 

 wiiich have been presented by Governor Christie to 

 Bergen Museum, probably date from the same period. 

 All these specimens were males. There is no sub- 

 sequent record of its occurrence in Norway, though it 

 has several times been found in the Skager Rack. Pro- 

 fessor Malm obtained two male specimens in Bohuslan, 

 the one 95 mm. in length, and taken at the entrance 

 of Gullmar Fjord (ord Aug., 1863), and the second 

 125 mm. in length, and taken at a depth of 16 fathoms, 

 off Vinga near Gothenburg (2nd June, 1873). During 

 the voyage of the gunboat Gitnliild, in July, 1878, Dr. 

 Theel and Dr. Tkybom took three specimens, two males 

 and one female, between 60 and 70 mm. long, on a 

 clayey bottom at a depth of from 17 to 30 fathoms, 

 between the Skaw and the Nidingen Islands. Mr. C. A. 

 Hansson has forwarded to the Roj-al Museum a male 

 111 mm. long, from Stromstad Fjord, where it was 

 taken at a depth of 30 fathoms, on the 23rd of Au- 

 gust, 1880: and in 1882 Di-. A. H. Malm forwarded 

 from Bohuslan the largest example of this species vet 

 di-seovered, a male 146 mm. in length. A female 99 

 mm. lonjj, the largest on record, and described by 

 Professor Lilljeborg as having "fairly large, though 

 not rii)e, eggs", was taken in July, 1883, by Professor 



" BoNAr.\RTE, 1. c; Steindachner. 1. c. GiGLioLi, Espo:. Intern, di Pesca in Berlino 1880, iSe:. Ital.. Cat., p. 90; Moreau, L c. 

 ' Gthr, .'^nn. Mag. Xat. Hist., I. c. 



Scandinavian Fithet. 



36 



