On the identity oyTrigla Cuculus tuith T. Gurnardus. 413 



III. On the identity of the Trigla Cuculus, BL, with the T. Gur- 

 nardus of authors ; together with Observations on two Spe- 

 cies of the Genus Gobius. 



When noticing the T. Cuculus as an addition to the Fauna 

 of Ireland, in the first volume of the ^ Annals^* (p. 348), I 

 embraced the opportunity of offering some remarks on the 

 confusion that existed about the species. In so far, the ob- 

 servations then made may not be useless ; but as it was looked 

 upon in the ordinary light of being a species distinct from 

 T. Gurnardus, of which it has very recently been shown to be 

 merely the young, I feel that a few notes are requisite as sup- 

 plementary. 



In a paper on some species of British fishes read by Dr. 

 ParneU before the meeting of the British Association at New- 

 castle, the author stated that an examination of a series of 

 specimens, embracing all sizes, had led him to the conclusion 

 that T. Cuculus, Bl., {T. Blochii, Yarr.) is only the young of 

 T. Gurnardus ; and to him alone, I believe, is this highly in- 

 teresting discovery due, for such, in consequence of the man- 

 ner in which it is effected, I conceive it to bef. Having 

 lately procured a series of specimens, that I might, for my 

 own satisfaction, examine into this question, I shall here give 

 the results. The following extract from the ' Histoire Natu- 

 reUe des Poissons' of Cuvier and Valenciennes, by whom 

 they are considered as distinct species, may in the first place 

 be desirable. " Leur tete est la m^me, ses granulations sont 

 semblables, les dentelures des lobes de leur museau sont tout 



• One oversight was here committed. Mr. Jenj'ns is mentioned in com- 

 pany with other authors as not having described the relative length of the 

 first and second rays of the first D. fin to each other ; but although this is 

 not alluded to in his ' Manual ' under the head of T. Cuculus (a circumstance 

 which led to the remark), the relative differences only between this species 

 and T. Gurnardus being described, rendered any observation on this point 

 unnecessar)', when a similarity was considered to prevail in this character. 

 For a similar reason Cuv. and Val. did not particularize the relative length 

 of these rays. 



fin the number of specimens of each species, independently of the beau- 

 tiful manner in which they are preserved, Dr. Pamell's collection of British 

 fishes stands quite unrivalled. In these TriglcB is a notable instance of the 

 advantage of a series of different sizes, the young and old fish being so dif- 

 ferent, that without having traced the changes from youth upwards, we could 

 hardly believe in the modification which really takes place. 



