384 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
colour. They may be described as being of a straw-colour, with 
broad dark vertical bands of a deep brown hue. The first passes 
over the head; the second from the first dorsal fin down to the 
outer third of the ventral; the third from the second dorsal, 
curving downwards and rather backwards to the anal fin; while 
the fourth band is over the free portion of the tail, the outer edge 
of which is white. Looking down from above upon these fish the 
bands are seen to meet on the back, while after death they almost 
entirely disappear. 
Irrespective of the colours observed in this fish, a few notes 
may be of interest respecting its occurrence during the last half 
century, and rapid increase along our southern shores. The 
first capture recorded in the British Isles was in Mount’s Bay, 
October, 1825; then solitary examples at Bridgwater, in 1833; 
at Teignmouth about the same time; at Lossiemouth in 1839, 
when a specimen seven inches long was sent to the Elgin Museum. 
On the 6th March, 1842, one was found alive on the beach at 
Brighton, and considered such a rare acquisition that it was 
sent for her Majesty's acceptance, when H.R.H. the Prince 
Consort was the first who recognised and correctly identified the 
fish as Capros aper. 
One was taken at Falmouth in 1841; while, on August 12th, 
1843, the shore on the western side of Plymouth was strewn with 
numbers captured by trawlers, who threw them overboard when 
turning out their nets. A strong easterly wind is said to have 
been blowing, and which was surmised to have driven them 
inshore. Mr. Gatcombe, writing in ‘ The Zoologist,’ observes :— 
“JT should say there were more than a thousand of them, and 
almost all of the most beautiful colours, some quite crimson, 
others more scarlet or pink, but all more or less beautifully 
banded or striped. I found, however, that these bands soon 
faded or disappeared altogether on being exposed to the light 
and air.” ‘The fishermen stated that within a few years these 
fish have swarmed to such an extent as to have become a perfect 
pest, and that in many instances the trawlers have actually been 
obliged to change their fishing-ground in order to be out of their 
way. Such immense numbers often got into the trawl that holes 
had to be cut in the net to allow the fish to escape, as it was 
found almost impossible to lift such a great bulk on board without 
carrying away their gear. 
