EUROPEAN HEMIRAMPHUS. 45 



time of the year as these fishes. The Garfish appears on the 

 coast in April, and spawns in May ; the Saury-pike makes 

 its first appearance in June. For these fish, but particu- 

 larly for the former, nets are worked on various parts of 

 the coast, and considerable quantities are taken ; but no 

 adult specimens of Hemiramphus, unless we are to suppose 

 they have remained hitherto unrecognised by the fishermen. 

 It is also not a little singular, that up to the present time, 

 with the exception of the small specimens already referred to, 

 as taken at two places very distant from each other, no ex- 

 ample of any species of Hemiramphus has been found, either 

 in the Mediterranean, the Channel, or in the North seas. I 

 have lately had an opportunity of conversing with two emi- 

 nent foreign naturalists, to whom I showed the specimens, 

 who agreed with me that no adult species of Hemiramphus 

 had been recorded as found in the seas of Europe. 



One question may be hazarded, — Is this fish, with its une- 

 qually developed jaws, the very young state of our common 

 Garfish {Belone vulgaris)? Except in the peculiarity of 

 the mouth, it is certainly very like it ; but our young Garfish 

 of the year taken in December, when they are about seven 

 inches long, specimens of which I possess, have the upper 

 jaw of the same comparative length as the lower one. 

 Another season or two will probably decide the question, 

 and it will be as interesting, in an ichthyological point of 

 view to be able to determine this to be the young state 

 of Belone as that there exists a true Hemiramphus in the 

 seas of Europe. 



The two examples obligingly sent me by Dr. Clarke, are 

 too young and too minute to make any attempt to define 

 specific characters desirable, beyond such as the remarks of 

 Mr. Couch, and the representation here given will supply ; 

 and I only propose, for distinction's sake, that it should be 

 called Hemiramphus Europaeus. 



