180 



RIBAND-SHAPED. 



The females are full of ova in spring ; they approach the 

 shore in May. 



A very young specimen of this fish was found alive on the 

 shore in Slapton bay, on the south coast of Devon, about 

 four miles east of the Start Point, in Feburary 1810. " I 

 regretted," says Colonel Montagu, " not having seen it 

 alive; but it was quite fresh and perfect when brought 

 to me the day after it was taken, and is now in high 

 preservation in spirits. It measures about ten inches in 

 length, and half an inch in breadth, at the broadest part, 

 just behind the head, and where its thickness does not 

 much exceed one-eighth of an inch. It differs in nothing 

 but size from that before described : the characteristic larger 

 teeth are conspicuous, and the two ventral scales are also 

 obvious by the assistance of a glass : the dorsal and anal 

 fins are so fine in this young specimen, and lie so close, 

 that they are not easily discovered, unless they are lifted 

 up by some pointed instrument : the caudal fin is very 

 small, but perfect : the under jaw projects full as much 

 in proportion as in the larger fish : the whole skin is 

 covered with a silvery cuticle, which is easily separated 

 by gentle friction, and adheres to the fingers ; it is not 

 of that high polish observed in some of the scaly fishes, 

 and is a little wrinkled ; there are also several slight lon- 

 gitudinal depressions on the sides, that give a striped ap- 

 pearance in some points of view. 



" How are we to account for this very young speci- 

 men being found in our seas, unless the spawn had been 

 deposited on our coast ? And if, as we may now conclude, 

 this fish actually inhabits our seas, it is curious that it should 

 never before have been discovered." 



This small specimen is still in good preservation at 



