TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 109 



Rothsay in the isle of Bute, and the fish in question was brought to 

 him by a fisherman, who stated that he caught it on a hand-line in the 

 bay of Rothsay about 200 yards from the sliore, in twelve-fathom wa- 

 ter ; that it was, though well known, but rarely seen ; that specimens 

 varied from 6i to 8 inches in length ; that they were full of roe in 

 June, and when first caught the cucumber-like smell was very apparent. 

 Mr. Yarrell thus describes the characters of this new species of Osme- 

 rus, for comparison with the common smelt : — In the new fish the jaws 

 are of equal length, without teeth upon either, but thei'e are four long 

 teeth upon the tongue ; the eye very large ; the upper surface of the head 

 convex ; the form of the operculum circular ; the dorsal fin commencing 

 half-way between the point of the nose and the anterior edge of the adi- 

 pose fin ; the anterior edge of the adipose fin is at the end of the second 

 third of the space between the dorsal fin and the end of the fleshy por- 

 tion of the tail, while the ventral fins, which are in the middle of the 

 whole length of the head and body in both species, are, by the proxi- 

 mity of the first dorsal fin to the head in the new smelt, brought in a 

 vertical line underneath the posterior edge of the first dorsal fin ; the 

 anal fin, like tlie adipose fin above it, commences much nearer the tail 

 than in the common species ; the ends of the caudal rays not tipped with 

 black. The numbers of the various fin rays are as follows : — 



D. 



Osmerus vulgaris .... 11 

 New species 11 



The form of the body is elongated and slender ; the lateral line straight ; 

 above it the colour of the body is of a pale yellowish green ; below it 

 is a broad longitudinal stripe of bright silvery white, passing, by a shade 

 of yellowish olive, to an iridescent silvery white on the belly. 



To identify this species with the locality from which it was derived, 

 Mr. Yarrell proposes to distinguish it by the name of the Smelt of the 

 Hebrides — Osmerus Hehridicus. 



On some new and rare British Fishes. By Richard Parnell, 

 M.D., F.R.S.E. 



The author exhibited a large collection of British fishes, and read 

 notes upon their specific characters and synonymy, which he jjroposed 

 to embody in a work devoted to the Natural History of Fishes*. The 

 species most copiously illustrated by Dr. Parnell's observations, were 

 Motella cimbria of Linnoeus, Payellus acarine, Raia chagrinea, hitherto 

 seen b}^ very few naturalists, and Raia intei'media, which he thinks has 

 not been previously described. 



Besides various other interesting fishes. Dr. Parnell exhibited to the 

 Section a dish of white bait ( Clupea alba) which had been caught the 

 preceding day in the Frith of Forth, and were recognized by Mr. Yar- 



* The Natural History of the Fishes of the Forth. This interesting work is pub- 

 lished. 



