84 GENERA AND SPECIES. 



two or three rows of spots occasionally continuous ; the long-pointed 

 pectorals, the caudal, which has a light edging, and the spotted 

 anal are mainly pale yellow. This species feeds on seaweeds, and 

 comes inshore in small shoals, generally where the ground is rocky 

 or there is a breakwater or pier on which seaweed grows. When 

 fully grown it is about 16 inches long and 5 deep. 



Capros. Plate iv. CARANGIDJE. 

 28. aper, BOAR-FISH. Body flat and deep ; colour red 



The Boar-fish has two dorsals, the first with 9 spines, the second 

 with from 23 to 25 rays, and the anal is in two distinct divisions, 

 the first with 3 spines, and the. second with 23 or 24 rays ; the caudal 

 has 12 rays, the pectorals have 13 rays, and the ventrals have a 

 spine and 5 rays. In the first dorsal the first spine is rather short, 

 the second being the longest, the others shortening one after the 

 other, so that the fin is triangular ; the second dorsal increases in 

 height towards the tail ; the ventral spine is strong and has a rough 

 fore-edge ; the anal is similar to the second dorsal. The mouth 

 does not extend as far back as the eye, which is very large. The 

 scales are small and spiny. The body rises in a hollow curve 

 from the protractile snout to the beginning of the first dorsal, and 

 then curves boldly outwards to the last ray of the second dorsal. 

 The lateral line follows the outline of the body, and dies out 

 between the dorsals. The hinder nostril is large and oval, the 

 other is small and round. This unmistakable red fish is 7 inches 

 long, and feeds on the molluscs and crustaceans it finds on the 

 bottom in moderately deep water. It appears on the coast of 

 England in May, and returns to the Atlantic in October, and ie said 

 to grunt like a pig, but gets its name from the pig-like snout. 



Caranx. Plate iv. CARANGIDM. 

 24. tracliurus, HORSE MACKEREL. 



The Horse Mackerel, perhaps quite as well known as the Scad, 

 has two dorsal fins coming close together, the first with 8 spines, 

 the second with i spine and n or 12 rays. There are two anals, 

 also close up, the first with 2 spines, the second with i spine and 

 from 26 to 29 rays ; in the caudal there are 17 rays, in the pectorals 

 from 19 to 21, in the ventrals the usual spine and 5 rays. The 

 second dorsal is not so high as the first, and, like the anal, extends 

 almost to the tail. The lateral line has 73 large bony plates, 

 which are keeled towards the tail end where the line becomes 

 straight. Elsewhere the scales are very small. The mouth extends 

 to the first third of the eye, the lower jaw being the longer. There 

 are teeth not only on the jaws, but on the vomer and palatines, and 

 in a band along the middle of the tongue, and they are all small. 

 The dark blue back is marked off by the lateral line from the 

 silvery sides. In food and habits this fish resembles the mackerel. 

 It is of very wide distribution, and found solitary or in shoals, which 

 are sometimes of immense extent. In the spring it feeds on the 

 bottom, but in summer it is a surface swimmer. Large specimens 

 measure 20 inches in length. 



