368 PISCES (OSSEI) ACANTHOFf. [ZEUS. 



simple : anal with the first four rays strongly spinous ; the soft portion 

 separate as in the dorsal, and answering to the same part in that fin : 

 caudal oblong, even at the end: pectorals small, rather less than one- 

 third the length of the head, of an oblong rounded form, the middle rays 

 a little the longest ; all simple : ventrals a little before the pectorals, 

 more than twice their length; first ray strongly spinous; third and 

 fourth longest; all the soft rays except the last branched: 



B. 6 ; D. 10/24 ; A. 4/23 ; C. 12, and 2 short ; P. 13 ; V. 1/7. 



(Colours.) Yellowish, varied with olive and lead-gray; in the middle of 

 each side an oval black spot : the whole tinged with a golden lustre. 



Not uncommon on some parts of the southern and western coasts. 

 Occasionally attains a considerable size. Pennant speaks of one which 

 weighed twelve pounds. According to Bloch, is very voracious, and 

 keeps near the shore in order to prey on the fish which come there 

 to spawn. 



(2. CAPROS, Lactp.) 



42. Z. Aper, Gmel. (Boar-Fish.) 



Z. Aper, Gmel. Linn. torn. i. part iii. p. 1225. Capros Aper, Lactp. 

 Hist. Nat. des Poiss. torn. iv. p. 591. Riss. Hist. Nat. de 

 VEwr. Mtr. torn. in. p. 380. Cuv. Reg. An. torn. n. p. 211. 

 Proceed, of Comm. of Zool. Soc. 1833. p. 114. Aper Rondeletii, 

 Will. Hist. Pise. p. 296. tab. I. 4. f. 4. Boar-Fish, Yarr. Brit. 

 Fish. vol. i. p. 169. 



LENGTH. The British specimens have not exceeded seven inches. 



DESCRIPT. (Form.) "Body a shorter oval than that of the Dory: 

 mouth protruding : a band of minute teeth considerably within each jaw : 

 eye very large, placed at the distance of its own diameter from the end 

 of the nose when the mouth is shut: nostrils large, just anterior to the 

 edge of the orbit: origin of the first dorsal, pectoral, and ventral, fins, 

 nearly in the same plane : the base of the first dorsal about as long as 

 its third spine, which is the longest : the base of the second dorsal equal 

 to that of the first, the rays very slender and flexible, the membrane 

 only extending up one-third of the length of the rays : pectoral fin as 

 long as the third ray of the first dorsal, slender and delicate in structure : 

 ventral with one strong spine, the other rays flexible and branched, the 

 membrane not extending the whole length of the rays : anal with all 

 the characters observable in the second dorsal, and ending at the same 

 distance from the tail : the caudal rays slender, and twice as long as the 

 fleshy portion of the tail : number of fin-rays, 



D. 9/24 ; A. 3/24 ; C. 12 ; P. 14 ; V. 1/5. 



No lateral line observable : body quite smooth when the finger is passed 

 from before backwards, but rough to the touch in the contrary direction, 

 from numerous small scales which are minutely ciliated." (Colours.) 

 " Upper part of the back and sides pale carmine, still lighter below, arid 

 passing to silvery white on the belly : body divided by seven transverse 

 orange-coloured bands reaching three-fourths of the distance from the 

 back downwards : irides orange ; the pupil bluish black : all the fin-rays 

 the same colour as the back; the membranes much lighter." YARR. 

 Obs. In one of the British specimens there were no transverse bands. 



This species, which is a native of the Mediterranean, has twice occurred 

 in the British seas. The first individual is recorded by Dr. Henry Boase 



