182 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



nard throughout the whole of the British coast, although it is 

 said to be of less common occurrence. Colonel Montagu, 

 as well as myself, have seen many of these taken on the 

 Devonshire coast, by small drag-nets, and returned again to 

 the water, the fishermen considering them as the young of 

 some of the other species of gurnards. 



In the Firth of Forth, in the month of August, I pro- 

 cured several specimens about three inches in length, above 

 North Queensferry, in a pool of water which had been left 

 by the tide, where there were at least two dozen ; they re- 

 mained in the same station for five weeks, although the 

 tide covered them daily with three feet of water ; they did 

 not appear in the least shy but swam about in shoals, one 

 always taking the lead ; when they were suddenly ap- 

 proached they became stationary, and erected their first 

 dorsal fin, which, with the black spot on the upper part of 

 each, gave the shoal a beautiful appearance ; when they 

 were unmolested this fin became deflexed. In those I exa- 

 mined, their stomachs were filled with small shrimps and 

 star-fish. 



The spawning season of this species is not known, as no 

 ova has yet been found in it of any size, although specimens 

 can be obtained all the year through. 



From a close examination of several specimens of this 

 fish, of all sizes, I am induced to consider it as nothing else 

 than the young of the Tr'igla gurnardus or grey gurnard, 

 notwithstanding the high authorities of Cuvier, Jenyns, 

 Montagu, and others, who, from personal examination, con- 

 sider it as a distinct species. • 



The characters by which this fish is said to be distin- 

 guished from the grey gurnard, are, first dorsal fin with a 

 black spot ; dorsal ridge strongly serrated, and the first three 

 dorsal rays smooth, not granulated. These characters de- 



