134 LETTERED SERRANUS. 



and appearing small and imperfect at the season 

 when the spawn was little advanced. Fish with a 

 milt only, appear not to have been met with, and 

 even among the ancients, to whom the fish was 

 known, it was an accepted opinion, that females 

 only existed. 



Another Mediterranean species is the Perca 

 cabrilla of Linnaeus, distinguished from the last 

 by the want of the inscription-like markings on 

 the head, but having three or four oblique bands 

 on the cheeks, and longitudinal stripes on the 

 body, of a bright vermilion. It has also the 

 deeper transverse bands on the body, bright spots 

 and bands on the fins, and is altogether a fish of 

 as great beauty as the preceding. It is commonly 

 taken in the Mediterranean. A curious species 

 from the north-west of New Guinea is described 

 in the voyage of Frecynet* nearly white, with a 

 black line running along the centre ; and another 

 species is mentioned by Cuvier, which has the 

 skin which covers the preopercle nearly without 

 scales the Serranus gymnopareius* 



Our next fish represents the form of Cuvier's 

 second division of this great genus, with the head 

 and jaws strongly scaled, and called by him 

 Barbier ; except in this character, they are nearly 

 allied to the last. 



