112 ACANTIIOPTERYGII. 



had come under my inspection in and previous to the year 1839, have 

 been already published by me : — 



" Black Goby, Linn. ? Of the black goby, as generally recognised by British 

 authors, a specimen taken at Youghal has been submitted to me by Dr. Ball. 

 In a paper read before the Linnuean Society last year, I showed that the Gob. 

 niger of Pennant and the fish to which Donovan applies the same name, are 

 two distinct species. To the latter Mr. Yarrell has since given the name of 

 Gobius bipunctatiis ." — W. T. in Proc. of the Zool. Society, 1835, p. 80. 



" Gobius Britannicus. British Black Goby. 



When at Gahvay Bay, on the western coast of Ireland, accompanied by 

 Dr. Ball, in June, 1834, I captured a species of goby, whose thicker and 

 more clumsy form at once led me to consider it different from a G. 

 niger taken at Youghal, with which I had been favoured by that gentle- 

 man. On a recent examination it proved identical with the G. niger 

 of Cuvier and Valenciennes, whilst the latter coiTesponded with the G. 

 niger of Montagu (Yarrell's Brit. Fish. vol. i. p. 252) and Jenyns. This 

 species is considered by Cuv. and Val., but without recourse being had 

 to a comparison of specimens, to be the same as theirs ; but the two in- 

 dividuals under consideration, unquestionably distinct, agree so well with 

 the detailed descrijjtions of those just quoted under the same name, as to 

 leave not a doubt upon my mind as to the propriety of separating them. 

 Amongst other differential characters, they present the following : — 



G. niger, Mont. G. niger, Cuv. and Val. 



(from Youghal). (from Galway). 



Jaws, the lower one the longer. Jnivs, equal. 



Teeth, several irregular rows in Teeth, outer row very much the 



both jaws, those of the outer row largest, and curving inwards. 



not very much larger than the 



others, and, like them, straight 



and truncated at the summit. 

 Sulcus, extending from the head to Sulcus, wanting. 



D. fin. 

 PapiUce,* so numerous on the head Papill(e, less numerous by half. 



as to give it the appearance of 



being delicately carved all over. 

 D. 6—14 ; P. 18;; V. l-5th each; A. D. 6—16 ; P. 20—21 ; V. 5 ; A. 13 ; 



12; C. 15, and some short. C. 14. 



Though of British authors the G. niger of Montagu and Jenyns only 

 is quoted with certainty, the species described as such by Pennant and 

 Yarrell appears to be the same, the exceptions being that two rows only 

 of teeth are attributed to it by the former, and 17 rays are described by 

 the latter as contained in the second D. fin. The G. niger of Donovan 

 and Fleming is the G. Ruthensparii (G. bipiinctatus, Yarr.) of Eu- 

 phi'asen. 



Bloch's G. niger does not agree with either species here treated of; as, 

 like Pennant's, it is stated to have but two rows of teeth. It differs, more 

 especially from that of British authors as now I'estricted, in the jaMs being 

 of equal length, the teeth pointed, and having 16 rays in the 2nd D. fin ; 

 and from that of Cuv. and Val. in the shortness of the P. fin, a character 

 represented both in his figure and description. The G. niger of Risso hav- 



* With respect to these resembling the G. geniporus, as described by Cuv. 

 and Val., t. xii. p. .32, but very dift'erent in other characters. 



