70 Prof. M'Intosli's Notes from the 



form of Phijcis hilennoides wliicli he had procured on the 

 18th February from the same region as the present example, 

 viz. off Messina. If his figure is reliable this has a propor- 

 tionally deep body, and the first dorsal is separated from the 

 second by a greater interval than occurs in the present 

 example or in the young ling*. The caudal has a straight 

 posterior border, whereas both in the young ling and in the 

 young Phycis dealt with here the caudal is rounded, a 

 condition not nneommou in very young postlarval forms, 

 which subsequently may have a straight or nearly straight 

 posterior border to the caudal. The Italian author gives the 

 caudal about 22 rays. The first dorsal apparently has its 

 third and fourth rays longer than the others, and there are 

 8 in all. The second dorsal has 50 rays; the ventral has 

 3 rays and extends beyond the vent, an iuterradial membrane 

 ■with hlack pigment separating the rays, so that in the figure 

 the proportions are those met with in a rockling — the 

 outline forming an elongated triangle. Faeeiola describes 

 the pectoral as attenuate at the tip, which reaches a vertical 

 from the vent and has 17 rays, the length heing thus much 

 greater than iu the present form, and the shai)e is equally 

 divergent. The scales had 4 or 5 concentric lines. The 

 lateral line was indistinct. The general aspect of the fish 

 was silvery with specks of black pigment here and there, 

 and a dark ventral band posteriorly. The swim-bladder had 

 two anterior horns, and there were 30 vertebrae. A barbel 

 of moderate length occurred on the chin. He concludes 

 from the outline of the pyloric appendages (15), the shape 

 of the swim-bladder, the scales, and other particulars that his 

 example was a young Pltycis blennoides. Further remarks 

 on this example follow. 



The account given by the authors of the ' Scandinavian 

 Fishes ' of the fry of Phycis and the figure just alluded to 

 from the ' Sicilian Naturalist ' differ from the present form, 

 for they state that "young specimens of 30-35 mm. are of 

 a si very mackerel-like colour, resembling the fry of the 

 rocklings. The four or three rays of the long ventral fins 

 are united by a black pigmented membrane as in the fry of 

 the ling/^ Now the present example is only 35 mm. in 

 length, yet it diverges much from the young Motella of the 

 same length, and it would not be possible to spread out its 

 ventral fins as shown iu the figure cited, which resembles 

 Motella except in the first dorsal. Either the sjieeimeu 



* M'Into;.h .t I'riiice, Trans. R. S. E. vol. xxxv. pi. xviii. figs. 3 k 4. 



