i^.-^ THE LUNATED GiLT-HEAD. 



the mouth Is happily adapted for this purpofe ; for the^ 

 are all furnifhed with flat back teeth, refembling the 

 grinders of quadrupeds, and fulfilling the fame office. 

 Befides thefe teeth, and fmall fliarp ones on the fore part 

 of the jaw, the inner part of the mouth is lined with cer- 

 tain hard bones, which afTift in the arduous work q£ 

 grinding and mafticating their hard food *. 



They are a cdarfe fiih, and in modern times held in no 

 great efteem, though the caprice of the ancient Romans 

 |et a high value upon fuch as were fed with the ojllers 

 of the Lucrine la}i.e, perhaps for no other reafon than 

 becaufe they were fadiionable eating at a certain period ; 

 They fecm, from MavliaVs account, to have thought 

 meanly of tlicfe fidi in gcne,ril f . 



The lunulated gilt-head gv'ows frequently to the weight 

 of ten pounds: The form of the body is deep, refembling 

 that of a bream ; the back is fharp, and of a dufky green j 

 between the eyes is a fcmilunar gold-coloured fpot ; the 

 fides are of the fame hue, but tinged witli brown ; at the 

 farther angle of the coverts of the glllsj there is fre- 

 quently a black fpot, below it fometlmes a purple one J. 

 In this fpecies the teeth are covered with lips ; and the 

 back teeth are not fo flat as in fome others of the genus» 

 There is but a iingle dorfal lin, which ftretches a con- 

 fiderable way along the back, and has twenty four rays j 

 the firft eleven fpinous, and the reft cartilaginous : The 

 three former rays of the ventral fin are alfo fpinous, and 



the 



* Brit. Zoology. 



f Non omnis laudem pretiumque meretur, 



Sed cui folus erit concha Lucrina cibus. Lib, xiii. Ep. 90, 



\ Willough. page 307. 



