1 74 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



inflict a severe and painful wound, causing the part affect- 

 ed to swell, and become almost immediately of a dark 

 brown appearance, which remains for five or six hours and 

 then gradually subsides. The best application for a wound 

 of this description is hot water, which relieves the pain 

 and diminishes the swelling in the space of half an hour. 

 The most common size of this fish is from four to four and 

 a half inches in length. Dr Fleming and other au- 

 thors state that it grows to the length of a foot ; while 

 the oldest fishermen on the Solway Firth never saw or 

 heard of one more than six inches long. As an article of 

 food it is never made use of. It feeds on crustaceous ani- 

 mals and young gobies, and deposits its spawn about the 

 middle of spring. 



Family II. LORICATI. — Suborbital bone extending 

 over the cheek, and articulating behind with the preopercu- 

 lum ; head mailed, or otherwise armed. 



Genus TRIGLA. — Dorsal fins two ; body scaly ; three 

 detached rays under the base of the pectorals. 



Trigla cuculus.* — The Red Gurnard. 



Specific Characters. — Lateral line crossed throughout its length by 

 lines not reaching below the middle of the sides. (See Plate XVIII.) 



Description. — From a specimen fourteen inches in length. Body 

 rather elongated; sides rounded, particularly near the caudal ex- 

 tremity; back nearly straight; head of a square form, falling ob- 

 liquely from the orbit to the point of the snout. Colour of the 

 head, sides, back, dorsal and caudal fins, rose-red ; belly, ven- 

 tral, and anal fins, dull white, more or less tinged with red ; pec- 

 torals bluish ; scales of moderate size, ciliated at their free mar- 

 gins, rendering the body rough to the touch ; checks and upper 



* Trigla cuculus, Lin. Cuv. ; T. pini, Bloch. Jen. ; T. lineata, Mont. 

 Flem. Red Gurnard, Red Crooner, Cuckoo Gurnard. 



