Mr. W. Thompson on Fishes new (o Ireland. 273 



presenting with the S. Hinnulus * " a row of small whitish 

 spots from the eye towards the first of the branchial openings ; 

 lateral line indistinctly ? spotted with white ; also a moderate 

 number of small scattered white spots between the lateral line 

 and the dorsal ridge." The lateral line is in my specimen closely 

 spotted with white, of a silvery lustre, from its origin to the 

 extremity of the second dorsal fin, where this marking termi- 

 nates; but a row of similar spots appears throughout the entire 

 tail, beginning at the origin of the caudal fin on the upper side, 

 and placed between its margin and the lateral line; "a moderate 

 number" of white spots, as described above this line, as far as 

 the extremity of the second dorsal fin ; these are larger than 

 those on the line and have the same silvery lustre ; the short 

 space intervening between the end of the second dorsal and 

 the origin of the caudal fin is spotless. No spots on the body 

 below the lateral line, nor on any of the fins, which are pearl 

 grey ; the pectorals varied with a whitish tinge along the mar- 

 gin, and the first dorsal with a dusky tip. Pupil of the eye 

 black ; irides silvery, with iridescent hues ; eye 10 lines in 

 length t, oblong-oval in form. This individual agrees in every 

 character with the M. stellatus as described by Risso J, ' Hist. 

 Nat. r Eur. Merid.', t. iii. p. 126. Mr. YarrelFs figure of ilf. 

 Icevis (vol. ii. p. 393) is a very good representation of this fish. 

 The present individual differs from it in having a close row of 

 spots along the lateral line, and both lobes at the base of the 

 caudal fin conspicuously displayed, the anterior one nearly a^ 

 much so as in the preceding figure of Galeics vulgaris in the 

 same work. 



The specimen under description is a female. The stomach 

 was filled with brachyurous Crustacea, including a perfect and 

 full-grown Corystes Cassivelaunus. 



Other specimens of Mustelus laevis that I have examined, 

 and which were about the same size as the one described, were 

 similar in the chai-acters above given ; this is mentioned as 

 showing that the white spots above the lateral fine are not pe- 

 culiar to the young fish. See Yarrell, B. F., vol. ii. p. 394. 



* " Brownish-ash" is given as the general colour by Mr. Jenyns ; Risso 

 describes the M. stellatus to be " d'un gris de perle en dessiis." 



f The Squalus Caniciila is so different in this respect, as from the small- 

 ness of its eyes to be commonly called blind dog-fish in the north of Ireland. 



+ The figure oiS. IJinnulus in the ' Faune Francaise' shows the identity. 



Ann. Nat. Hist, Vol. 2. No. 1 0. Dec. 1838, t 



