THE AXILLARY BREAM. 205 



Description. — From a specimen thirteen inches in length. Body 

 of an oval form ; depth in the region of the pectorals four inches ; 

 sides compressed, covered with large ciliated scales, producing a 

 roughness on the surface when the finger is passed from tail to head. 

 General form resembling that of the sea-bream, but not so deep in 

 proportion to its length. Dorsal line rounded, descending obliquely 

 from the nape to the nostrils, from thence more suddenly to the lips. 

 Colour of the body pale silvery-red ; dorsal and caudal fins rose-red ; 

 ventral and anal fins paler ; space between the eyes reddish-brown ; 

 in front of the eyes, and on the lower half of the preoperculum, 

 metallic grey ; on the upper part of the base of the pectorals a dark 

 violet-coloured spot, very conspicuous even in the dried fish. Eye 

 large, placed half-way between the tip of the upper jaw and the pos- 

 terior margin of the operculum ; its diameter one- fourth the length of 

 the head. Operculum and preoperculum entire, without spines or den- 

 ticulations. Lateral line commencing over the upper part of the opercu- 

 lum, following the line of the dorsal curve to the base of the tail ; com- 

 posed of seventy scales. Dorsal fin commencing over the posterior mar- 

 gin of the operculum, and ending in a line with the last ray of the anal 

 fin, its spiny rays twelve. in number, sharp and stout ; the first spine 

 .short, about half the length of the second ; the fourth the longest ; 

 the remainder gradually decreasing in height, to the commencement 

 of the flexible rays, which are longer than the terminating spiny rays. 

 Anal fin commencing under the third flexible ray of the dorsal, the 

 three first rays spiny, the rest soft. Pectorals and ventrals com- 

 mencing in the same line ; the sixth ray of the pectoral the longest, 

 reaching to the first ray of the anal. Tail forked, the middle ray 

 not half as long as the longest ray in the same fin. Jaws nearly of 

 equal length, the under rather the shorter ; anterior teeth small and 

 numerous, disposed in many rows ; the outer row composed of 

 thirty teeth, longer and more bent than those within ; molars large, dis- 

 posed in three rows in each jaw. (In one of the specimens under exa- 

 mination but two rows are perceptible and the teeth irregularly 

 placed.) The intervening membranes of the caudal, and the last two 

 rays of the dorsal and anal fins, covered with small thin scales, 

 diminishing in size as they approach the summit of the rays. Num- 

 ber of fin rays — 



D. 24 ; P" 16 ; V. 8 ; A. 14 ; C. 20 ; Branchial rays 6. 



The above description is taken from a specimen cap- 

 tured in the Firth of Forth, in a salmon-net near Mus- 

 selburgh, in the early part of July. A few days after, a 

 second specimen was taken from the same place, and brought 

 to the Edinburgh market, where it was called a bream. It 



