392 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



the first twoj rather the longest ; caudal fin forked^ the middle ray 

 rather longer than the longest ray of the same fin ; the lobes rounded ; 

 all the rays finely branched, except the short lateral ones, which are 

 simple ; pectorals pointed ; ventrals wanting. Head long and nar- 

 row ; snout conical ; gape small ; under jaw longest when the jaws 

 are closed ; mouth protractile ; maxillaries short ; pedicels of the 

 intermaxillaries rather long ; when the mouth is widely opened, the 

 end of the upper jaw does not turn up as is observed under similar 

 circumstances in the last-described species, but projects forwards and 

 slightly downwards ; one tooth on the vomer bifurcated at its ex- 

 tremity ; no perceptible teeth on the jaws ; eyes round, situated 

 nearer the point of the snout than to the end of the gill-covers ; sub- 

 operculum large, beautifully marked with diverging striae, terminat- 

 ing in a rounded point, directed over the base of the pectorals ; la- 

 teral line commencing behind the head and running parallel with, 

 and immediately beneath, the base of the dorsal fin ; below it, about 

 half-way down the side, is observed another line taking a similar 

 course ; scales small and adherent, arranged in oblique lines. Num- 

 ber of fin rays — 



D. 64; P. 18; A. 26; C. 16. 



Two species of Sand-Eels, inhabiting our British coasts, 

 have been for a long time confounded, under the name of 

 Ammodytes tobiaiius, but which appear now to be clearly 

 understood ; — M. Lesauvage of Caen being the first natu- 

 ralist to point out the chai-acters in which the two species 

 differ. The A. lancea is distinguished from A. tohianus in 

 seldom exceeding the length of six inches, in the dorsal fin 

 commencing over the middle, or last quarter of the pecto- 

 rals ; in the upper jaw not turning up when the mouth is 

 widely opened ; in the maxillaries being short and the pe- 

 dicels rather long. Whereas in A. tobianus the length fre- 

 quently exceeds thirteen inches ; the dorsal commences over 

 the extremities of the pectorals ; when the mouth is widely 

 opened, the end of the upper jaw turns up very conspicu- 

 ously ; the maxillaries are very long, and the pedicels very 

 short. 



The A7nmodytes lancea has been observed in the Orkney 



