GOBIUS ORCA, COLLETT, WITHIN THE CLYDE SEA AREA. 75 



Sars, Jun., at Espevar, in the mouth of Hardangerijord (59' 3b' ), 

 from a depth of 80. to 100 fathoms, in 1873. Altogether, six 

 specimens have been taken off the Norwegian coast. During the 

 cniise of the steam yacht " I'Hirondelle," belonging to the Prince 

 of Monaco (1885-8), two small specimens, measuring about 

 24 mm., were taken at the depth of 166 m. in the Gulf of 

 Gascoigne, off Sables d'Olonne (Lat. 46° 27' N., Long. 6° 30' O.).* 



The only reference to its occurrence in the British Seas is 

 found in CoUett's work referred to, where he observes — " En 

 dehors de la Norvege, sa presence n'a 6t^ constatee jusqu' a present 

 que sur la cote nord de I'Ecosse (Kilbi-aunau Sound), ou on en 

 a recueilli un individu en mars 1 888 ; cet exemplaire a ete decrit 

 et figure par Giiuther sous le uom de G. Jeffreysi, male."' T 



Occurrence.— I have taken altogether three specimens within 

 the Firth of Clyde during the past five years — 



(1) Largs Channel, between Keppel Pier and Fairlie SandsJ 



(Lat. 55° 45' N., Long. 4° 54' W.), 19 fathoms, hard 

 ground, by shrimp trawl. A female (mature), 3G mm. ; 

 to root of caudal, about 29 mm. 



(2) Between Scalpsie Bay and Cock of Arran (Lat. 55* 44' N., 



Long. 5° 11' W.), 75-89 fathoms, mud, by shrimp trawl, 

 male, length, 34 mm. ; to root of caudal, 26 mm. 



(3) In mid-channel (Lat. 55° 41' N., Long. 5° W.), 51 fathoms, 



mud, by shrimp trawl, male; length, 34 mm.; to root 

 of caudal, 27 mm. 

 Gobius orca has now been assigned to the genus Lebetus, 

 instituted by Winther, in 1877, to receive this and a closely 

 allied species, G. scorpiuides, Collett, in which the structui'e 

 of the ventrals is somewhat dift'erent from that which obtains 

 in most of the other species of Gobius (which consists in not 

 having the base united by a membrane). Collett, however, 

 observes in this connection — " Mais, comme cette membrane 



* Eesultats des Campagnes Sc. de " I'Hirondelle," Fascicule X. poissons 

 par Collett, p. 41. 



t Op. cit., p. 43 (for CoUett's reference (115), vide Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinr., 

 March, 1888, p. 210, pi. III., fig. B). 



X We also took at this station a fine specimen of Raniceps raninus (Lin.). 

 The only other record for its occurrence in the Clyde is by Dr. 

 Scouler, in 1860 (Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasgow, Vol. I., p. 8, 1868). 



