526 Contributions to British Ichthyology. 



quoted by Mailer, as synonimous with his C. pubera, and the lat- 

 ter bears very little resemblance in figure to that which he gives 

 himself. 



The shell is of an oblong shape, the valves flatter than in most of 

 the other species, and on lower margin sinuated or kidney-shaped- 

 Its colour is of a dull white, without any peculiar spots, or mark- 

 ings ; it is pellucid, smooth, and free from hairs. 



( To be continued.) 



Art. III. — Contributions to British Ichthyology. By R. Parnell, 

 M. D. 



On the coast of Devon are to be found all the Gurnards that are 

 mentioned by Mr Yarrell, in his excellent work on the British Fish- 

 es, Trigla cuculus, T. hirundo, T. lineala, T. lyra, T. gurnardus, 

 and T. Blochii, and I have the pleasure of adding another to the 

 list, Trigla lucerna, of Brunner, which is so little known, as to 

 have been omitted by British writers. It is interesting to mention, 

 that Rondeletius was the first who figured this fish. He obtained it 

 from the Mediterranean. Brunner afterwards received a specimen 

 from Marseilles, and named it Trigla lucerna. Risso also makes 

 mention of one being taken at Nice, and Cuvier, who obtained spe- 

 cimens from Naples, has given a good figure of it in his Histoire 

 Naturelle des Poissons, pi. 72. 



1. Trigla lucerna. 



It is astonishing how this fish could have escaped the notice of 

 British naturalists, as it is by no means rare. It possesses such 

 strong specific marks of distinction, that it has been known to some 

 of the fishermen at Brixham, for the last thirty years, by the name 

 of " Long-finned Captain," and is esteemed the sweetest and the 

 most delicate of the British species ; but, owing to its small size, 

 it is scarcely ever brought on shore, being returned again to its na- 

 tive element as unfit for the markets. In September last, while en- 

 gaged in the pursuit of natural history, I saw, taken at one haul of 

 a trawl-net, seven of these fish, scarcely one of which could be con- 

 sidered perfect, having the intervening membrane of the rays more 

 or less destroyed. 



Description. — The largest specimen that I have observed mea- 

 sures 10^ inches in length, and \\ in depth. The head, back, the two 

 dorsal, and the caudal fins, are of a rose red, while the under part, 



