342 EDWARD ITS REDISCOVERER. CHAP. xvi. 



rest. You are well acquainted with the little Mac- 

 kerel Midge, first made known by myself, and which 

 has been denominated Couchia glauca by Thompson. 

 But previously to this, Colonel Montagu had pub- 

 lished an account of a species much like it, but dif- 

 fering in having only two barbels on the snout. It 

 does not appear that any figure was given, but he 

 speaks of them as occurring in Devonshire, where he 

 lived. No one has seen a fish which answers to his 

 description since that time I suppose more than 

 fifty years ago ; and it has been judged that some 

 mistake was made, especially as he never gave a 

 notice of the Midge with four barbels. Yet Mon- 

 tagu was a good Naturalist, and a correct observer. 

 He calls his fish Silvery Gade ; for he wrote before 

 Cuvier made these fishes into a new genus, termed 

 Motella. But your fish answers closely to Montagu's 

 lost fish. When I inform you that Montagu gives 

 the number of rays in the fins, you may judge how 

 closely he examined this fish. When my History of 

 British Fishes is ended, I intend to give a few as a 

 supplement, and as ascertained too late to fall into 

 the regular order. This little fish will find a place 

 there, when I shall take care to mention your name 

 as its rediscoverer." 



In a notice which Edward afterwards gave of the 

 fish he observed : " I may mention that this genus of 

 little fishes, designated with the appellation of Midges 

 from their small size, and containing three species, 



