3& SORTATION. 



galerita) has a black band at the base of the pectorals ; and the last 

 (J5. gattorugine) has no such band. In Yarrell's blenny (Carelophus 

 ascanii) the dorsal is long and straight, and there are filaments on 

 the first three rays ; in the torsk (Brosmius brosme) the dorsal is also 

 long and straight, and the ventrals are curiously thick and pointed. 

 It belongs to the cod family, and is a couple of feet long or so. 

 Practically, the four genera with jugular ventrals are so easy of 

 recognition that we need not summarise their distinctions, but pass 

 on to those with thoracic ventrals, which are much more numerous. 



In this large and important assemblage the anal fin is of great 

 assistance. One genus (Luvarus) has a spine and 14 rays in its 

 anal, and can otherwise be recognised by its quaint shape and red 

 stripe. Three genera have two spines in their anal fin, one, Acerina 

 (the ruff), having 5 or 6 rays behind it, while in Schedophilus and 

 Brama the anal has over 25 rays, Schedophilus having 3 dorsal 

 spines,' short and isolated, and Brama having 3 or 4 short and not 

 isolated. 



Those in which the anal has 3 spines are 12 in number, Con's 

 (the rainbow wrasse) differing from the rest in having only 12 or 13 

 rays in its pectorals. The genera in which the pectoral rays num- 

 ber from 14 to 17 can be divided into a batch having 12 or fewer 

 spines in the dorsal and a batch having more than 12. In the first 

 lot, all of which have forked tails, Dentex is conspicuous by its 

 brilliant silver, blue, and gold coloration, and its four large teeth 

 in the front of each jaw, and Cantharus by its black lateral line, 

 which is parallel to the curve of the back. The other two are 

 Pagellus and Pagrus, both of which have cutting teeth in front of the 

 jaws and molars along the sides, Pagrus differing from Pagellus in 

 having canine teeth as well, the molars in Pagellus being smaller 

 than in Pagrus. These are the sea-breams, all much alike, and all, 

 with one exception, red or pinkish, the exception being the gilt- 

 head (Pagrus auratus), which is silvery, and has a golden crescent 

 between the eyes. As the only other Pagrus, Couch's sea-bream 

 (P. vulgaris) has been caught but once in British waters, it may be 

 said that Pagrus is only represented by a silvery fish, and Pagellus by 

 red ones. There are five of these the pandora (P. erythrinus), is red 

 with purple and silvery reflections, and has colourless ventrals ; 

 P. acarne is red with golden reflections ; P. owenii is carmine 

 above and white below, with the fins paler than the body ; 

 P. bogaraveo (the Spanish bream) is pinkish above and white below, 

 with a dark axillary spot ; and the common sea-bream (P. centro- 

 dontus), is scarlet above and paler below, with a black spot at the 

 beginning of the lateral line. 



In the next group, that in which the dorsal spines are more than 

 a dozen, one genus (Box) has a forked tail. Of the others a few 

 have spines on the gill-covers, and their lips are thin, while the 

 remainder, consisting only of the wrasses, have no spines on the 

 gill-covers, and their lips are thick. Of the three with spiny gill- 

 covers, one, Polyprion (the stone-bass) has less than 13 rays in its 

 dorsal ; in the others there are more than 13, Serranus being dis- 

 tinguished by its 10 dorsal spines (in S. cabrilla) or n (in S. gigas), 

 and Sebastes (the bergylt) by its 15 dorsal spines, and, at once, by 

 its orange-red body and fins. 



