FISHES. 483 



Nilsson notices five specimens, which have "been taken 

 off the coast of Sweden up to 1850, and also says that 

 others have been taken off Chistiania and Bergen in Norway. 

 The length of his described specimen was 24 in., and it 

 weighed 6 Ib. 



Gen. Pterycombus. Fries. 



Dorsal and anal fins bare of scales ; scales of body much 

 larger; the number of vertical scale rows being only 

 eighteen. 



28. PTERYCOMBUS BRAMA, Fries. 



Yery much resembles the last, but besides the above- 

 mentioned generic differences, the shape of the forehead 

 is widely different, and the dorsals and anal fins set in a 

 deep furrow, with a high ridge of large scales on each 

 side. The colour could not be noticed, as the skin was 

 dry and mutilated. Br. 7; D.46; P. 20; Y. 1,5; A. 40; 

 C. 20. 



The only known specimen of this fish is preserved in the 

 Stockholm museum. It was brought down from Hammerfest, 

 in Norway, by a sea captain in 1832. It was caught close 

 to that town, where such a fish had never been seen before. 

 Its length 19 in; 8 in. high; length of the head 4 in. 



Mr. Couch, to whom I sent my translation of Nilsson's 

 fishes, which he frequently refers to in his new work of 

 " British Fishes," in describing the Kay's sea bream re- 

 marks : ' ' So deeply impressed on my mind was the opinion of 

 the probability that two specimens, which might have been 

 supposed examples of the Brama Rayii, were in reality of 

 different species, that I ventured to communicate to a local 

 society of natural history of Penzance, a paper on the 

 subject with figures, and the opinion thus formed has 

 received some support from the observations of two eminent 

 naturalists of Sweden, whose evidence will be reproduced 

 at some length." He first describes Brama Hayii from a 

 British specimen of 23 in. long, and then describes Fries' 

 pterycombus brama as I have done, and then he adds : "How 

 much of the discrepancy between this description and that 



