452 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



In the Magazine of Natural History, for January 1838, 

 No. xiii, is the following notice of the Argentine {Scopelus 

 Humboldtii) in the Firth of Forth, by Dr W. B. Clarke, 

 of Ipswich. 



" I discovered this highly elegant little fish, whilst look- 

 ing amongst the various bodies cast up by the water at 

 Portobello, and observed it lying entangled in some sea- 

 weed which had been accumulated in masses, and left by 

 the retiring tide. The fish was dead, but from its fresh- 

 ness could not long have been so. 



'' In the Animal Kingdom of Cuvier, translated by Grif- 

 fith, we have the following description of the genus. 



' ScoPELus, Cnv — Serpes of Risso. 



• Mouth and gills extremely cleft; the two jaws furnished with 

 very small teeth ; the edge of the upper entirely formed by the in- 

 termaxillaries ; the tongue and palate smooth. Their muzzle is very 

 short and obtuse ; there are nine or ten rays to the gills ; and be- 

 sides the usual dorsal^ which corresponds to the interval of the ven- 

 trals and the anal, there is another very small one behind in which 

 the vestiges of rays are perceptible.' 



" These fishes are caught in the Mediterranean inter- 

 mingled with the anchovies, and they are there called Me- 

 lettes, as are other small fishes. One of them, the Serpes 

 Humboldtii, Risso pi. x. fig. 38, is remarkable for the bril- 

 liancy of the silvery points which are distributed along the 

 body and tail. 



" Mr Yarrell in his valuable work upon the British Fishes 

 states, ' Pennant and the Rev, Mr Low of Orkney, appear 

 to be the only British observers who have met with, on 

 our shores, examples of this brilliant little fish, which Cu- 

 vier considers as belonging to the genus Scopelus.'' Pen- 

 nant's specimen was taken in the sea, near Downing in 

 Flintshire ; Mr Low's fish was brought to him by a boy, 

 who said he found it by the edge of the water amongst 



