150 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATUEE. 



[Carps. 



tint* beean rapidly to farte; and the colouring 

 matter being dissolved by the spirits, rendered the 

 liuuoi blue. In a few days the fish had lost its 

 splendour, so that no idea could have been formed 

 from its appearance of its orii;inal colours. 



Tliis species is subject to some variety. A spe- 

 cimen taken in January, 1831, in Swansea Bay, was 

 red, becominc pale oranije on the belly ; the body 

 ornamented with bluish iireen oval spots; the 

 fins and tail screen, with a few red spots; the dor- 

 sal fin had spots alon? the base only. (See Yarrell.) 

 The (ipeciraen which came under our notice (see 

 'Zool. Proceeds.,' Dec. 1830, p. 17) was marked 

 with orange, as described, on a deep rich blue. 



2411. — The Green-strbakkd Wrasse 



{Labrus lineatus) ; Ijibms Psittacus, Kisso. 



This species is found in the Mediterranean, and 

 occasionally visits the coast of Cornwall and Devon- 

 shire. It is so rare a species that Mr. Yarrell states 

 that he has never seen either a Hritish or Mediter- 

 ranean specimen. Donovan described it from an 

 individual seven inches in length, taken on the 

 Cornish coast by Captain Bray ; and Colonel Mon- 

 tagu states in his MS. that he had captured it on 

 the coast of Devonshire. According to M. Risso 

 this species is of an elongated form, and of a fine 

 meadow green colour, lighter on the sides, and 

 yellowish green on the throat and under parts. The 

 operculum is angular ; the female is of a uniform 

 green above, silvery beneath. 



2412. — The Red ob Tiirek-Spotted Wbassb 



{Lahnis cameus). The Red Wrasse is common in 

 the Mediterranean, and occasionally visits our coast, 

 having been taken off Anglesey and the coast of 

 Devonshire and Cornwall, as well as in the Frith of 

 Forth. It is enumerated among the fishes of the 

 Baltic and the coast of Norway. 



Its food consists of crustaceans and mollusks, 

 which it seeks among the rocks, under the long 

 floating seaweed of which it finds shelter and con- 

 cealment. Muller says that its flesh is good. 



The present species is of a fine red orange, paler 

 on the sides, and fading into light orange yellow 

 underneath. The fins are orange, fringed with a 

 deeper tint, but part of the anterior spinous por- 

 tion of the dorsal tin is of a rich purple ; and two 

 rounded spots of the same colour, alternating with 

 two of a delicate rose tint, are seated on the back, 

 on each side of the soft part of the dorsal fin, while 

 a rose spot and purple spot occupy the ridge of the 

 fleshy portion of the tail. 



2410. — The Rainbow Wrasse . 



(JWi's Mediterranea) ; Labrus Julis, Linn. 



In the genus Julis the head is smooth, the cheeks 

 and gW-covers without scales ; the lateral line bends 

 suddenly down when opposite the end of the dorsal 

 fin. Other characters as in Labrus. 



This species inhabits the Mediterranean, frequent- 

 ing the most rocky shores ; occasionally it is found 

 on the coast of Cornwall. In habits and manners 

 it agrees with the Wrasse tribe generally. 



It is very beautiful ; the back is greenish blue, 

 the longitudinal line is orange, beneath that are 

 lilac bands on a silvery ground: the head is varied 

 with brown, yellow, blue, and silver; the dorsal fin 

 is orange, with a purple anterior spot, the three first 

 spinous rays are longer than the others. 



2414. — The Goldfinny or Goldsinny 



{Crenilabrus Corntibius). 



The genus Crenilabrus is distinguished from La- 

 brus by the denticulation on the edge of the prae- 

 operculum. The Goldfinny is found in the Medi- 

 terranean, and also along the coast of Devonshire 

 and Cornwall, and as far east as Beachy Head. It 

 has been taken on the coa-st of Ireland. The lateral 

 line of this species deflects opposite the end of the 

 dorsal fin, and then runs to the tail, dividing it 

 equally. "This fish," says Montagu, "varies in 

 colour, but is generally more or less green or yel- 

 lowish, darkest on the back; the sides generally 

 marked with longitudinal darker lines mostly green, 

 but sometimes not very conspicuous ; a dark spot 

 at the base of the caudal fin, on the lateral line, ap- 

 pears to be a constant specific character." This 

 species haunts rocks where nets are rarely cast, and 

 as it refuses to take a bait, is seldom to be procured. 

 It is generally captured in the wicker traps set to 

 catch lobsters and crabs. Length from three to five 

 inches. 



2415. — ^The Gilt-head or Golden Maid 



{Crenilabrus Tinea). On most of the rocky parts 

 of our southern and western coast, and in many 

 parts of the coast of Ireland, the Gilt-head is toler- 

 ably common; and, like the goldfinny, is usually 

 taken by fishermen, in the lobster-pots, attracted by 

 the tempting morsels, intended as a lure to those 

 valued Crustacea. Its figure is thick ; its head large ; 

 its teeth prominent. The head is blue, striped and 



spotted with orange red. The body Is red, varied 

 with green; all the fins are greenish blue, some 

 having a stripe or two of a darker tint. Length 

 six or seven inches. Mr. Yarrell states that this is 

 the Ancient Wrasse, and Common Wrasse of authors, 

 who describe a blue and yellow species with a den- 

 ticulated prseoperculum ; but not of Pennant and 

 others, which is identical with the Ballan Wrasse. 



241G. — The Ceylonksk Green Wrasse 



(Gomp/iosis viridis). In the genus Gomphosis the 

 muzzle is greatly produced and slender, and the 

 head is smooth ; the mouth is small ; the tail ample, 

 and somewhat lunate. All the species inhabit the 

 Indian seas, and some are great delicacies for the 

 table. In their habits they resemble the Wrasses 

 generally. The present species is found along the 

 (<oast of Ceylon ; it is of a dark green, the pectoral 

 fin having a black transverse mark. 



Within the limits of the present family, may be 

 noticed a group of fishQS (Scarus, Linnaeus), general ly 

 known by the name of Parrot-fishes, remarkable for 

 the convex and rounded form of the jaws, which are 

 beset with several series of scale-like teeth, so sol- 

 dered together, that they usually appear to form 

 solid masses of enamel ; these teeth succeed each 

 other from behind, forwards ; those at the base be- 

 hind, being the most recent in formation, in time 

 replace those anterior to them, and form them- 

 selves the cutting edge. When alive, the fleshy 

 lips nearly cover the teeth. Fig. 2417 shows the 

 Head of a Parrot Fish, and also a front view of the 

 Beak-like Mouth, seen anteriorly, and of the natural 

 size. 



In general form, and in the large scales with 

 which the body is covered, these fishes resemble 

 the true Wrasses, and as in the latter, the bones of 

 the pharynx are furnished with teeth. These fishes 

 are mostly confined to the hotter latitudes, and are 

 of the most brilliant colours, from which circum- 

 stance, combined with a fancied resemblance of the 

 mouth to the beak of a parrot, they have obtained 

 their common appellation. 



One fish of this group, the Scarus creticus of 

 Aldrovandus, was in high repute among the Ro- 

 mans. It is of a blue or red colour, according to 

 the season, and is found in the Greek seas. It 

 was for this fish, that a Roman fleet, in the reign 

 of Claudius, was dispatched under Elipertius Optatus, 

 in order that it might be transported to and acclima- 

 tized in the Italian sea. It is eaten at the present 

 day in Greece, served up with a sauce of its " trail." 

 See Cuvier. 



ORDER MALACOPTERYGII. 



SECTION ABDOMINALES. 

 The abdominal malacopterygious or soft-rayed 

 fishes are those in which the ventral fins are sus- 

 pended under the abdomen far posterior to the pec- 

 toral fins, and without being attached to the shoul- 

 der bones of the latter. In this section is compre- 

 hended the greatest number of fresh-water fishes. 



Family CYPRINID^E (CARPS, GUDGEONS, 



DACE, &c.). , 



In this family the fissure of the mouth is small, 

 the jaws weak, mostly destitute of teeth, while on 

 the contrary the pharynx is furnished with strong 

 teeth. The branchiostegous rays are few, the body 

 is covered with scales. 



2418, 2419.— The Caep 



{Ct/prinus Carpiai). In the genus Cyprinus the 

 body is protected by large scales : there is a single 

 elongated dorsal fin ; the lips are fleshy ; pharyngal 

 but not maxillary teeth; branchiostegous rays 

 three. 



This beautiful fish, rich with burnished ^old, is 

 not an original of our country, common as it is in 

 our ponds, lakes, and rivers, but was, at some period 

 not ascertained, introduced into our island from the 

 continent, where it is widely spread. Mr. Yarrell 

 says, " Leonard Mascall takes credit to himself lor 

 having introduced the carp, as well as the pippin; 

 but notices of the existence of the carp in England 

 occur prior to Mascall's time, 160(). In the cele- 

 brated ' Boke of St. Albans,' by Dame Juliana Barnes 

 or Berners, the Prioress of Sopevvell Nunnery, 

 printed at Westminster, by Wynkyn de Worde, m 

 14116, carp is mentioned as a ' cleyntous fisshe ;' and 

 in the privy purse expenses of King Henry VIII., 

 in l!j32, various entries are made of rewards to per- 

 sons for bringing ' carpes to the king. ' " 



The carp is very prolific, and prefers ponds and 

 lakes with a muddy bottom to clear rivers, in which 

 it is the opposite of the trout. In favourable waters 

 oOen it attains to an enormous size. Daniel, in his 

 ' Rural Sports,' says that " Mr. Ladbroke, from his 

 park at Gatton, presented Lord Egremont with a 

 brace that weighed thirty-five pounds, as specimens 

 to ascertain whether the Surrey could vie with the 



Sussex carp." Mr. Yarrell adduces two instances, in 

 one of which a carp taken at Stourhead was thirty 

 inches long, upwards of twenty-two broad, and 

 eighteen pounds in weight ; the other is that of a 

 carp taken from the WhiteSitch Ijike, at Weston 

 Hall, StaHurdshire, the seat of the Earl of Bradford, 

 which weighed nineteen pounds and a half; a 

 painting of it is preserved. 'I"he growth of the 

 carp, however, is not very rapid, yet it would ap- 

 pear that some have attained a weight of three 

 pounds by their sixth year, and of six pounds before 

 their tenth year. 



The breeding time of this fish is towards the end 

 of May or at the beginning of June ; Bloch found six 

 hundred thousand eggs in the roe of a female of nine 

 pounds weight. 



Few fish are more tenacious of life, out of the 

 water, than the carp ; in wet moss they will live for 

 weeks, and in some parts of the continent they are 

 thus kept, refreshed occasionally by water thrown 

 over them, and the moss freely saturated; while 

 thus mewed up, they are fed upon bread steeped in 

 milk. 



In the winter, carp appear to undergo a partial 

 state of torpor, burying themselves in the mud. or 

 in deep holes under the bank. White, in his ' Natu- 

 ral History of Selbourne,' says, " In the Garden of 

 the Black Bear Inn, in the town of Reading, is 

 a stream or canal, rnnning under the stables, and 

 out into the fields on the other side of the road. In 

 this water are many carps, which lie rolling about 

 in sight, being fed by travellers, who amuse them- 

 selves by tossing them bread. But as soon as the 

 weather grows at all severe, these fishes are no 

 longer seen, because they retire under the stables, 

 where they remain till the return of Spring." The 

 carp is in season from October to April : its flesh has 

 been much praised, but we think undeservedly ; it 

 is not to be compared to that of the tench. Boccius 

 says that those which are more than twenty years 

 old are hideously coarse ; and Mr. Yarrell considers 

 it more indebted to the cook for the estimation 

 in which it is held, than its intrinsic flavour. 

 Isaac Walton seems to have been of the same 

 opinion, notwithstanding that he calls this fish the 

 " queen of rivers." 



Carp are said to live to a hundred and fi.ffy ortvvo 

 hundred years old, but they lose their fine colour 

 and become grey. Worms, the larvae of insects, and 

 soft aquatic plants are their Ibod. 



The first dorsal fin ray is short, stout, and bony ; 

 the second also is bony and strongly serrated be- 

 hind ; the other rays are flexible ; the first ray of 

 the last fin below is also bony, strong, and serrated 

 posteriorly, it consists of two slips soldered together. 

 Two small barbules at each corner of the mouth. 



The beautiful gold-fish from China (Cyprinus 

 auratus) is an allied species. 



2420.--THE Barbel 



{Barbus vulgaris) ; Cyprinus baibus, Linn. In 

 the genus Barbus the dorsal fin is short, with the 

 first ray strong, bony, and serrated ; mouth wil h four 

 barbules, two near the point of the nose, and one on 

 each side at the angle of the mouth. 



The Barbel is a native of the rivers of the 

 warmer parts of Europe, and is very common in the 

 Thames, from Putney upwards ; and is also found 

 in the River Lea, in Essex. 



In the summer, barbel frequent the weedy parts 

 of the river in shoals, and retire on the approach 

 of winter to deeper waters, often sheltering 

 themselves under steep banks, the wood-work of 

 artificial falls, old sunken boats, and the like, 

 crowded together in dense masses ; they are then 

 easily taken by means of a net. As the weather 

 becomes cold, they sink into a torpid slate, and 

 may be captured by the hand, without any re- 

 sistance. Their flesh, however, is worthless. In 

 summer, the barbel affords excellent spoit to the 

 angler ; it will bite at worms; and requires a strong 

 rod and line, as it is very vigorous. It is often 

 taken by anglers, when trolling with bleak or min- 

 nows, for large Thames trout. 



So numerous are barbel at Shepperton and Wal- 

 ton, that, according to Mr. Yariell, a hundred and 

 fifty pounds weight have been caught in five hours, 

 and on one occasion, it is said that two hundred 

 and eighty pounds weight of large sized barbel 

 were taken in one day. He adds, that the largest 

 fish he can find recorded, weighed fifteen pounds 

 and a half. 



In searching for food, the barbel turns up the 

 mud with its snout, and bores into the loose soil, in 

 quest both of veeetable aliment, and mollusks, 

 worms, the larvee of aquatic insects, &c. It breeds 

 in May and June. 



In its habits the barbel is shy and retiring. Mr. 

 .lesse, describing the manners of various fishes kept 

 in a vivarium, says, that of all the barbel were the 

 shyest and most impatient of observation : they are 

 notwithstanding very playful ; " in the spring, whea 

 they could not perceive any one watching them 



