THE GKEAT FORKED BEARD. 187 



M'Skimmin's History of Carrickfergus, viz. " Gad. hrosmc, Torsk, very 

 rare." 



This is a northern fish : in Great Britain it is sometimes taken in the 

 Forth becoming more common north-wards. About the Orkney Islands 

 it is common, and at the Shetlands abundant. 



The Great Forked Beard, Phycisfurcatus, Cuv., 



Has, in a very few instances, been taken on the North-East coast. 



In the Annals Nat. Hist. vol. ii. jj. 14, 1 jjublished the following note : — 



" Physis furcatus, Flem., Common Fork -beard. — To Cortland G. M. 

 Skinner, Esq., of Glynn Park, Carrickfergus, I am indebted for a remarkably 

 fine specimen of this tish, which was kindly secured for me on its being stated 

 by the fishermen who captured it to be a species quite unknown to them. It 

 was taken on February 24, 1836 (a calm day), with a gaff or hook, as it 'lay 

 floundering ' on the surface of the water ; was very violent when brought on 

 board, and before dying had struggled so hard as to divest itself of nearly all its 

 scales.* 



" The discrepancies of authors relative to the Phycis furcatus induce me to add 

 the following description of this individual : length 25 inches ; greatest depth of 

 body 65 inches ; weight 6| lbs. With Cuvier's short description (Reg. An. t. ii. 

 p. 335), and which is adopted in the Manual of British Vertebrate Animals, 

 it agrees in only one of the three specific characters, that of the first dorsal being 

 more elevated than the second. Its 3rd D. ray is longest,t being 3 inches in 

 length, and terminating in a filament ; the 2nd ray is 2 inches, and the first but 

 10 lines long. Upper jaw much the longer ; ventral fin, from base to extremity 

 of the longer fork, T\ inches ; to that of the shorter 5| inches. Head 5 inches 

 10 lines long, nearly as one to four in length of body ; P. fin rather more than 

 half the length of the head, and central between the dorsal and ventral outline; 

 profile rather angular from D. fin to eye, above which it is a little depressed ; 

 eye exceeding an inch in diameter ; nostrils double, 3 lines apart ; beard very 

 slight, 1 inch 2 lines long; 2nd D. and A. fins increase gradually in breadth 

 posteriorly, at their termination cut square, or at right angles to the body ; no 

 spines before the A. fin, as in those described by Mr. Couch (Linn. Trans., vol. 

 xiv. p. 75) ; tail obscurely rounded ; lateral line much incurvated for two-thirds 

 its length anteriorly ; vent lUg inches from snout ; ' jaws and front of the vomer 

 armed with several rows of sharp card- or rasp-like teeth.'' 



" D. 9—64 ; A. 54 ; P. 17 (Gth longest) ; V. 1 ; C. 24, reckoning all ; Br. 7. 



" Colour of body lilac grey, becoming paler towards the belly ; D. A. and C. 

 fins lilac grey, terminated with black; P. fin dark grey ; V. fin greyish, towards 

 extremity white ; interior of gill-covers rich purple ; eyes silvery round the 

 pupil, thence to circumference brown. 



" On dissection it proved a male, the milt weighing \\\ oz. The stomach 

 contained some Crustacea and two small whitings [Merlangus vuh/aris). 



" Since the above was written, I have learned that a specimen taken about the 

 same place occurred to the late Mr. Templeton (Mag. Nat. Hist., vol. i. p. 411, 

 New Series). The species should consequently have been omitted as an unre- 

 corded Irish one ; but as a description was drawn up, and specimens had not 

 come under the inspection of either Yarrell % or Jenyns previous to the publica- 

 tion of their respective works, it has been considered better with this notice to 

 retain it." — Ann. Xat. Hist. vol. ii. 



* Specimens are in the Ordnance Collection. — It. B. 



f The error of Pennant and Cuvicr in considering (he 1st D. ray flic longest 

 may perhaps be attributed to a want of due examination, as otherwise it does so 

 appear, and more especially in a dried specimen. 



1 The first edition of Mr. Yarrell's Br. Fishes was hero referred to. 



