GREA T BRIT A IN. 7 5 



3. Tub-fish (Trigla hirundo). 



Names. Sapphirine gurnard; tub- fish or tubbot ; sea- 

 crow ; red tubs ; smooth sides. 



B. vii., D. 9 | 16-17, V. -i, A. 15-16, Caec. pyl. x. Vert. ^- s . 



Length of head 3^ to 4 ; height of body 6 to 6-i- in the 

 total length. Eye. i^- to li diameters in the postorbital 

 portion of the head, 2 diameters from the end of the snout, 

 and I apart. Interorbital space deeply concave. Profile 

 of snout oblique. Angle of preopercle acute and with two 

 sharp spines in the young. The maxilla scarcely reaches 

 to beneath the front edge of the eye. Teeth. Fine ones 

 in the jaws and on the vomer, none on the palatines or 

 tongue. Fins. Second spine of first dorsal fin as long as 

 the snout. Pectoral usually longer than the head and 

 reaching to above the seventh anal ray. Scales. Nearly 

 200 irregular rows descend to the lateral-line which is 

 smooth. From 25 to 27 spinate plates along the bases of 

 the dorsal fins. Air-bladder. -Large, trilobed, and ante- 

 riorly produced into two short horns. Colours. Brownish- 

 red. Pectoral fin red externally, with blue edges or 

 emerald green internally, with numerous blotches forming 

 bands. In the young the back is reddish-brown, abdomen 

 silvery, sides golden. Dorsal fins reddish, the first being 

 black tipped, the second violet having a dark basal band, 

 and also dark along its upper half. Caudal purplish. 

 Pectoral violet externally, having irregular dark and nar- 

 row transverse bands ; on the posterior half or two-thirds 

 of its inner side exists a large oval black or very dark blue 

 blotch, on which are scattered small milk-white or light 

 blue spots : these marks gradually disappear in the larger 

 examples. Habits. Usually remains at the bottom in 

 father deep water, but occasionally rises to the surface. 



