RED AND BLUE WRASSES. 195 



has been found from aquarium experience that of the 

 two species named the "red" and "blue," the former is 

 the young fish.* This colour is also that of the female, 

 so that the fact of highly-adorned male, fishes as- 

 suming the tint and colour of the female when young, 

 is analogous to the rule which prevails among many 

 birds, of the young male bearing the plumage of the 

 adult female. The cuckoo wrasse (Labrus mixtus) is 

 to be seen in public aquaria, the males and females 

 in the same tank, being both highly coloured, but 

 so different in tint and marking that until recently 

 they were regarded as different species. 



The corkwing and rainbow wrasses are distin- 

 guished from those just named by the edge of the 

 gill-cover being finely toothed or crenated, hence 



Fig. 128. 



Corkwing Wrasse (Crenilabrus melops). 



their generic name of Crenilabrus. The true wrasses 

 are thus marked when young, but lose the teeth as 

 they reach their adult condition. The corkwing (Cre- 

 nilabrus melops) is not a very common British fish, 



* Labrus variegatus and Labrus trimaculatus are the male and female 

 of one species, Labrus mixtus. The green wrasse (L. lineatus} is the 

 young of L, maculattis. 



O 2 



