THE CORKLING. 131 



Mr. Thompson's papers is the following, -which he published in Annals of 

 Nat. Hist, vol. ii. p. 418.— Ed.] 



" On the identity 0/ Crenilabrus multidentatus, Thomp.. and Labrus pusilhis, 



Jeni/ns. 



" In the month of June, 1837, 1 with some doubt characterized a Cre?iilabrus 

 as new, under the specific name oi mxdtidentatus (Proc. Zool. Soc, 1837, p. 56), 

 and subsequently g;ave a more detailed account of it, Mag. Zool. and Bot., voL 

 ii. p. 449. From the species possessing some of the principal characters of Lab. 

 pusillus. I lately felt desirous of comparing specimens of this fish with mine ; 

 and for this purpose Mr. Yarrell very obligingly forwarded to Belfast, for my 

 examination, the only specimen of it he possessed, and which is one of the ori- 

 ginal individuals described by Mr. Jenyns. A comparison of this specimen, 2\ 

 inches in length, with my OAvn proved the species to be the same. 



"Ilmust be stated that C. multidentatus was considered not to be a distinct 

 species, even without critical attention having been given to the description of 

 L. pusillus. The follomng are the chief differences that led to the belief of their 

 non-identity : — 



C multidentatus. L. pusillus. 



" Teeth numerous and large, two rows " Teeth of moderate size, conical, re- 

 in the upper, one in the lower, jaw, gular, about 16 or IS in each jaw. 

 number in lower 26, outer row of 

 upper jaw 20.* 



Upperyaiw the longer. f Jaws equal. 



Colour (in spirits) very pale greenish Colour, (in spirits) yellowish brown, 

 bro^\Tl on the back, olive-green on with irregular transverse fuscous 



the sides, becoming paler beneath, bands ; dorsal irregularly spotted 



sides with darker fow^t^McZwia/ bands Avith fuscous ; anal light brown ; the 



throughout; 3 blackish spots, one other fins pale." 



on the pre-opercle behind and rather 

 below the centre of the eye, a second 

 on the body at the base of the cau- 

 dal fin and at its lowermost portion, 

 and the third at the base of the last 

 ray of the dorsal fin." 



Mr. Yarrell's specimen, which is in excellent preservation, has no ap- 

 pearance whatever of transverse fuscous bands, like the individual de- 

 scribed by Mr. Jenyns ; it is also free from sjjots, thus differing again 

 from mine. J 



When looking over Dr. Ball's collection of native fishes in June last, I 

 had the pleasure of seeing among them a Crenilabrus, which accorded 

 better, in some respects, with Mr. Jenyns' description of^ L. pusillus than 

 the smaller specimens, and, compared with them, differed in several points 

 of view to be hereafter noticed. 



This individual — 4 inches 11 lines in length — is larger than any of this 

 species recorded in the Manual of British Vertebrate Animals. Except- 

 ing that the ascending margin of the pre-opercle is not " very oblique," it 



* My specimens, with the teeth more numerous, were nearly one-half 

 smaller than the one which (from the length of 4 inches being assigned to the 

 species), I presumed, served fur !\Ir. Jenyns' description. 



t The difierence in the length of jaws is very trivial. 



X See an excellent figure in the Mag. Zool. and Bot., vol. ii. pi. 13, to which 

 draughtsman and engraver did equal justice. 



K 2 



