146 



OPAH. 



Acanthopterl Zeida 



[Zeus liina, Lampril guttalus, or Luna.) 



Local names: King-fish, Sea-pert, Carf, Jerusalem Haddocli. 



This is one of tlie most brilliantly coloured of British fish. 

 I have never seen a fi-esh specimen, but from the figure 



OPAH. 



in Couch it must be of perfect beauty. Its colourings, 

 according to Couch, are as follow: — "The general 

 -colours are splendid red and green, with tints of purple 

 and gold, dotted over with round silver- white spots ; but 

 in one instance, described by Nilsson, the spots of yellow 

 and white were only below the lateral line. Iris of the 

 eye scarlet, and fins a lively red." 



His Grace the Duke of Argyll has a very fine model 

 at Inverary Castle of an opah ; it is made in paper, and 

 beautifully coloured to life. 



This fish is very rare in England. The Norwegians 

 call it the Laxetoye, or the "large salmon." The 

 Scandinavians call it the Glans fisk. Zeus luna are two 

 pretty names for it. It is rather an inhabitant of the 

 northern than the southern seas, but it has occurred at 



