THE SEA BREAMS 



These fishes have a deep plump body, large scales, and a 

 single dorsal fin of which the front part is supported by strong 

 spines while the hinder part has soft fin-rays. There is a ventral 

 fin with three spines and a number of soft rays, the soft part 

 being opposite to that of the dorsal. The pelvic fins are beneath 

 the breast-fins. There are usually sharp cutting or pointed teeth 

 in the front of the jaws, and rounded grinding (molar) teeth at 

 the sides. There are no teeth on the palate. The colour is 

 usually red on the back, silvery on the sides. They are coast 

 fishes of the tropical and temperate regions, none extending to the 

 Arctic or Antarctic seas. They are of very moderate size with 

 few exceptions. 



A number of these fishes are taken occasionally on the 

 British coasts, especially on the south and south-west coasts of 

 England and Ireland, but only one of them is at all abundant, 

 namely the common sea bream {Pagellus centrodontiis). It is 

 distinguished by the possession of molar teeth at the sides of the 

 jaws and the absence of enlarged canine teeth. It is of an orange- 

 scarlet colour above, somewhat silvery on the sides. There is a 

 large black spot on the shoulder, just behind the upper corner of 

 the gill-cover. The breast fin is long, reaching beyond the vent. 



This fish occurs in the Mediterranean and extends from thence 

 to Norway ; it is taken somewhat frequently round all the coasts 

 of Britain and Ireland, but is only sufficiently plentiful, to be of 

 commercial importance on the south and south-west coasts of 

 England and Ireland. 



At Plymouth I have found various marine animals in the 

 stomachs of bream, but most abundantly echinoderms, namely, 

 brittle-stars and sand-stars and holothurians or sea-cucumbers : 



