On Scorpeena dactyloptera, Delaroche. 95 
event, from the fact of this latest example having been 
obtained on the shores of the North Sea, whereby an 
extension of its geographical, and, perhaps, of its bathy- 
metrical range is indicated. 
This occurrence, too, directs attention to the circumstance, 
that this fish has no place in works treating on the ichthy- 
ology of the British Islands; and has suggested to the writer 
that it might be useful to give a short sketch of its history 
and natural history, so far as they are known to him, based 
upon the scattered information existing upon the subject. 
Advantage has also been taken of the opportunity of affording 
a faithful figure of the species, a desideratum, as Delaroche’s 
plate—the only existing one—must be regarded as far from 
satisfactory. 
This North Sea specimen was washed up on the sands at 
Coatham, on the Yorkshire coast, on the 2nd of February 
1893. Here it was picked up by a fisherman, who, fortun- 
ately, took it to my friend Mr T. H. Nelson, a gentleman 
well known in the county for his great interest in natural 
history matters. Mr Nelson not only sent the specimen 
to me for examination, but has most kindly presented it to 
the collections in the Museum of Science and Art, Edin- 
burgh. On examination, I found that the fish bore a con- 
siderable general resemblance to Sebastes norwegicus—a fact 
which I afterwards ascertained to be alluded to by several 
of its earliest historians. It differs, however, in several 
important and obvious characters, among others (1) in 
having the interorbital space narrow and concave; and 
(2) in having the dorsal spines longer than the dorsal 
rays. 
The following is a description of this specimen, which is 
a young one, measuring 4'8 inches, or 122 millimetres, in 
length:—branchiostegals 7; dorsal spines 2, rays 13; anal 
spines 3, rays 5. The spines of the dorsal fin are strong 
and sharp, the third being the longest. The second spine 
of the anal fin is the longest. The rays of the pectoral 
fins are strong, and the inferior ones are free for about 
one-half their length—a peculiarity which has earned for 
this fish the specific name of dactyloptera, The interorbital 
