29 



BLOCK'S GURNARD. 



The name of Block's Gurnard was givcMi by ]Mr. Yarrcll 

 to a species of Trigla, which himself appears never to have 

 had an opportunity of examining, but of which a figure was 

 published by Bloch, with tlu; name of T. cuculas, or the Red 

 Gurnard; which figure Mr. Yarrell has copied in his "History 

 of British Fishes," although with a significant dilference (which 

 we shall have to notice) between that of his first and second 

 edition. There is now no doubt that the fish thus represented 

 by Bloch is not the same with the T. cuculus of Linnaeus; and 

 if Bloch has not fallen into an important error, there can be 

 no doubt that the species referred to is diff'erent from any 

 one that has been recognised as inhabiting the British seas. 

 The Trigla cuculus of Bloch is shewn as having the first ray 

 of the spinous dorsal fin conspicuously higher than the 

 second, with also a wide dark patch on the border of this 

 fin, which Risso, in his description of what he believes the 

 same species, makes a portion of its specific character. It is 

 certain that in all the British species the contrary of this is 

 the case, as regards the relative length of the fin rays; nor can 

 we find in the figures given by Willoughby or other writers 

 a single instance in which the first ray of the spinous dorsal 

 fin overtops the second. After the publication of his first 

 edition, Mr. Yarrell appears to have had his suspicions 

 awakened on this point; and accordingly we find in the second 

 edition of his "British Fishes," that the length of this ray is 

 brought down to be even slightly lower than the second, although 

 no reason is given why this correction is made, and the 

 reference is still to Colonel Montagu's description, in the 

 want of an example from which to obtain it anew. Montagu 

 himself w-as too close an observer to have passed over without 

 notice such a remarkable circumstance as the superior length 



