L A 13 K O I D E .E. 



their habits, and of that moderately elongated form 

 which we arc in the habit of associating with our 

 common notions of a fish. They are found most 

 abundantly on rocky coasts, and are in fact the rock 

 fish prope'rly so called, feeding upon Crustacea and 

 inollusca, which the peculiar form of their mouths 

 enables them readily to pull down from the rocks, or 

 otherwise to seize, while their strong teeth enable them 

 to break even hard shells without difficulty. 



They are found in the seas of almost every region 

 of the globe, from the Equator to Greenland ; but 

 they are far more abundant in the warm seas than 

 even in the temperate ; and in the cold seas they are 

 comparatively rare. Their flesh is, generally speak- 

 ing, agreeable ; but their haunts are too peculiar for 

 admitting of their being commonly seen in the fish 

 markets of Britain. They do not frequent the sandy 

 or muddy bays, nor the banks upon which ground 

 fishes congregate, but are confined to the clear water 

 among the rocks ; and, therefore, the bold shores of 

 Cornwall are the places of the British seas where they 

 are most frequently met with. The whole of them 

 are dressed in splendid attire ; their scales are as 

 splendent as polished metals ; and their colours have 

 all the beaming lustre of precious stones when the 

 light falls obliquely upon them. There are many fine 

 species in the Mediterranean ; but their grand resort 

 is among the islands which stud the vast expanse of 

 the Pacific ; and some of the species which occur 

 there are of extraordinary beauty. They do not all 

 agree in every particular, so that it becomes necessary 

 to divide them into sub-families, or at all events into 

 genera. 



We shall briefly mention the distinguishing cha- 

 racters of these genera, as the species are too many 

 for our enumeration ; and, having done so, we shall 

 more particularly notice at least the leading ones which 

 frequent the British seas. 



First, Labrus, properly so called. They have no 

 spines, nor marginal teeth to their gill covers, and no 

 appendages to the tail ; the cheeks and gill covers are 

 furnished with scales ; the body is oblong, and the 

 lateral line is nearly straight. They are most abun- 

 dant in the Mediterranean as European fishes ; but 

 they are also found as far to the northward as the 

 coast of Norway. 



Second, Julis, is readily distinguished from the for- 

 mer by having the cheeks and the gill covers with 

 smooth skin, and without any scales ; their lateral 

 line is strongly bent upwards, toward the termination 

 of the single dorsal fins. Several species are found 

 in the temperate seas ; but there are many more in 

 the Pacific, and thore they are remarkable for the 

 richness of their colours. One very beautiful species 

 belonging to this sub-division, occurs in the Mediter- 

 ranean, the Archipelago, and also the Red Sea, 

 always among the rocks and in clear water, so that 

 the play of their rich colours can be seen to the 

 greatest advantage. The general colour of its body 

 is bright violet, marked along its side by a zig-zag 

 band of brilliant orange, and having the dorsal and 

 anal fins marked with three bands, the first yellow, the 

 second red, and the last blue. It is but a small fish, 

 seldom exceeding six inches in length ; but its flesh 

 is excellent, and it is easily taken with hook and line. 



Third, Crenilabrus. These have the body oblong, 

 with a single dorsal fin, supponed anteriorly by very 

 strong spines ; and they have the margins of the gill 

 flaps toothed, by which they are distinguished from 



the first sub-division ; and they resemble that sub- 

 division in the sides of the head, being covered with 

 scales. Several of them are found in the Mediter- 

 ranean, and some are celebrated for the quality of 

 their flesh. 



Fourth, Corictu. These resemble the third divi- 

 sion in many of their characters ; but they have the 

 mouth a little protrusile. They are of small size, and 

 some of them are met with in the Mediterranean. 



Fifth, Encilinus, have the head scaly, and the scales 

 of the tail continued in the basis of the rays. The 

 lateral line is interrupted immediately under the 

 dorsal fin. Some doubts remain as to the perfect 

 correctness of this particular division. 



Sixth, Epibulus. The character of these, by which 

 they are chiefly distinguished from the others, is the 

 form of the mouth, which is capable of being pro- 

 truded to some length, in the form of a tube, by means 

 of which they contrive to suck or draw into their 

 mouths those small fishes upon which they feed. 

 Some of these have the body shaped not unlike that 

 of the carp, and they grow to the length of nine or 

 ten inches, or sometimes nearly a foot. The lateral 

 line is interrupted in the same manner as in the last 

 specimen. 



Seventh, Gomphosus, have the head entirely smooth, 

 or without scales, and the muzzle produced into a 

 tube with a small opening ; there are but few species 

 known, and these are inhabitants of the Indian seas. 



We shall now notice one or two of the British 

 species ; because, from the singularity of their lips, 

 and the beauty of their colours, they are interesting. 



BALLAM WRASSE (L. muculatus). This species, 

 which is not by any meai.s rare on our coasts, is in 

 some places called the old wife, or old woman of the 

 sea, and either the family are of inferior quality in 

 our seas than they are in the Mediterranean, or our 

 taste is different ; for the flesh of this wrasse is so soft 

 that the fish is hardly worth taking as a marketable 

 article, the chief demand for it being from collectors 

 and students. It frequents the deep holes among 

 rocks, where it lies in wait among the sea weed, 

 for those Crustacea upon which it feeds. It is often 

 a foot and a half in length, and weighs between three 

 and four pounds. The colour varies both seasonally, 

 and as it should seem in different individuals. Gene- 

 rally speaking it is red, passing into yellowish orange 

 on the under part of the body, ornamented with spots 

 of bluish green, and having the fins of the same colour 

 spotted with red. It occurs in many parts of our 

 rocky coasts, both on the east coast of the islands 

 and on the west, but more abundantly on the latter, 

 because it is more rocky. We quote a very accurate 

 description of one, from Yarrell's excellent and accu- 

 rate Natural History of British Fishes. " The length 

 of the head," says Mr. Yarrell, " compared to the 

 whole length of head, body, and tail, as one to four ; 

 the depth of the body alone equal to the length of 

 the head ; the lower edge of the scaly portion of the 

 cheek rounded, the scales only half as large as those 

 on the operculum; preoperculum without scales, the 

 horizontal and vertical edges forming an angle some- 

 what obtuse, the ascending line being oblique, the 

 margin entire ; operculum broad, covered with large 

 scales, and ending in a membranous projection over 

 the upper part of the origin of the pectoral fin. The 

 pectoral fin broad and rounded ; the membranes con- 

 necting the rays of all the fins spotted with verditer, 

 i rather inclining lo blue than green ; the fin rays red- 



