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On Moteila tricirrata a Fish new to the Berwickshire Coast. 



The Fish, to which I beg to call the attention of the Club, 

 is the " three-bearded Rockling or Cod ;" or " Spotted Whistle 

 Fish" of Pennant ; of which an example was obtained on 

 the 8th April, 1875, by one of the Cove fishermen, in a crab 

 creel, on the coast between Siccar Point and Redheugh. He 

 took it to Sir James Hall of Dunglass ; who sent it to me 

 for examination. Sir James has it now in preservation. 

 None of the fishermen had previously seen a fish of the kind, 

 and on inquiry at Coldingham I find it is not known there 

 either. It is a small fish, about 15 inches long in this in- 

 stance, and about the breadth of one's three fingers, and 

 nearly of the same thickness throughout, compressed behind. 

 It is of a yellowish red colour ; and the scales are small, and 

 the skin slimy. There is a deep groove behind the neck, in 

 which the first dorsal fin, which consists of a few rudimen- 

 tary rays, is nearly concealed ; the second dorsal occupies 

 the rest of the back ridge close up to the tail, and the anal 

 fin looks like a repetition of the 2nd dorsal. The two pec- 

 toral fins are narrowly bordered with red, like the fins of a 

 common trout. The body along the sides is spotted with 

 grey. On the- nose are two red barbules, and there is another 

 at the symphysis of the lower jaw. The teeth are numerous 

 and minute ; adapted to crush the crabs and shell-fish, which 

 form its food. Its near ally, the " five-bearded Rockling," 

 (M. mustela,) is a reddish brown fish, not uncommon in 

 pools between tide-marks. By some (Willugby, Gmelin, 

 and Couch,) it is considered a varietj 7 of the common species. 

 Fleming, probably copying Montagu, says it is common. 

 The Rev. L. Jenyns (now- Blomefield) gives an excellent 

 description, and more correctly states " Frequents rocky 

 shores, but is far more rare in British seas than M. Tnustela." 

 According to Mr. Couch, it is common on the Cornish coast ; 

 the Rev. Dr. Gordon appears to have observed it only once 

 on the shores of the Moray Frith, at Gamrie. At all events 

 it is a good acquisition to us, not being recorded on any 

 previous occasion. 



JAMES HARDY. 



