204 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



is, however, very rare along the British shores. Mr Yar- 

 rell states that " Mr Couch, with the exception of Mr 

 Walcott, seems to have been the only British naturalist ac- 

 quainted with its appearance on the English coast." The 

 former gentleman has noticed it in two or three instances 

 on the coast of Cornwall ; the latter, occasionally on the 

 coast of Devon. In the Firth of Forth I have seen it once, 

 where a fine specimen, nineteen inches in length, was cap- 

 tured in a salmon-net near Musselburgh. As food for the 

 table, this species is considered excellent. It feeds on crus- 

 taceous and testaceous animals, and occasionally small fishes. 



The characters which distinguish this bream from others, 

 are — eyes rather small ; the anterior mai'gin of the orbit 

 placed behind the angle of the maxillary bone. Lateral line 

 at its origin slightly bent, first taking a horizontal course 

 for half an inch, an oblique course^r an inch, from thence 

 following: the line of the dorsal curve to the tail ; orip'in 

 of the lateral line and base of the pectorals without a large 

 black spot. 



In Pagellus acarne and Pagelliis centrodontus the ante- 

 rior part of the orbit is placed in a line immediately over 

 the posterior angle of the maxillary bone, and the lateral 

 line from its commencement takes the curve of the line of 

 the back. In P. centrodontus there is a lai-ge black spot at 

 the origin of the lateral line, and in P. acarne a dark violet 

 cohured one, at the base of the upper part of the pectorals. 



Pagellus acarne.* — -The Axillary Bream. 



Specific Character. — Dark violet-coloured spot at the base of the 

 upper part of each pectoral fin. (See Plate XXVII.) 



* Pufjellus avurne, Ciiv., Parnell. Procccliiu/s of the Roj/al Society of 

 Edinburgh. 



