SPARID^. 33 



preopercle. Litest i)i.es — in an example 5| inches long the distance from the pylorus 

 to the vent was 3^ inches: there were only 3 coecal appendages. Colours — silvery, 

 becoming lighter on the sides and almost white on the abdomen: traces of 

 longitudinal lines have been observed along the body and a dark spot at the 

 base of the pectoral fin. A crescentic golden band, the concavity of which 

 is directed backwards, passes between the eyes : top of the head iridescent green. 

 A dark spot at the upper end of the opercle. 



Although Pennant has the lunulated gilt-head in his work, such is composed of 

 two species, the figure distinctly representing Pagellus centrodontus, whereas the 

 description is partially that of Fagriis auratus, which error has been repeated in 

 several more recent works. ' 



Names and their origin. — Gilt-head and gilt-poll from its predominant colours, 

 and lunulated gilt-head from the form of its interorbital golden band. It was 

 consecrated to Venus by the Romans under the name of Aurata sargon (Halliwell). 

 In Rome during the time of Belonius these fishes had different designations accord- 

 ing to their lengths ; those a palm long were named sauguene, if a cubit in length 

 daurades, while the intermediate sizes were termed meiane. Very large ones were 

 known as subredaurades. Thunor-hodu, Anglo-Saxon; Mr. Skeat considers the 

 term to apply to this fish, it means " thunder-boder," or the precursor of thunder, 

 which would seem to be an example of folklore. Feneuryn or Eurben, Welsh. 

 La Laurade vulgaire, French. 



Sabits. — These fish appear to frequent the sea on bold and rocky coasts, 

 where they feed on crabs and shell fish, which their powerful molar teeth would be 

 well adapted to crush and grind up. Duhamel states that they stir up the sand 

 with their tails to obtain small shell-fish. They assemble in shoals at the mouths 

 of rivers, but are said to be very sensible to impressions of cold when they retire 

 to deeper waters : and Dahamel observed that fishes of this genus died in numbers 

 during the severe winter of 1766. 



Means of capture. — Nets and lines. Ofi the coast of Languedoc, the hooks are 

 baited with pieces of mussel or other shell fish, as Venus decussata, or if these are 

 unobtainable with shrimps or pieces of tunny. 



Breeding. — Said to spawn in summer. 



As food. — Coarse, but much valued by the Romans, who kept them in 

 vivaria on an oyster diet, which improved their appearance and heightened their 

 flavour. In some places on the continent of Europe they are still esteemed, 

 although considered to be rather dry : those which have entered brackish waters 

 being preferred. 



Habitat. — From, the British coast as far south in the Atlantic as the Cape of 

 Good Hope (? variety P. globiceps C. and V.). Also through the Mediterranean to 

 the Adriatic. 



This fish is a wanderer to the British shores, and has been recorded from 

 Devonshire. Fleming had " seen it once caught in the estuary of the Tay in August," 

 but perhaps owing to his considering Sparus auratus (Pennant and Donovan) to be 

 this species but which really is Fagellus centrodontus, he appears to have added to 

 his otherwise correct description, '' a black spot at the origin of the lateral-line." 

 Edward (Life, p. 419) records two from Banffshire, one brought on shore at 

 Portsoy in 1839 : the other captured off Buckie in 1841. 



That the gilt-head is very rare on our shores is evident. It was first 

 alluded to by Colonel Montagu, who in 1802 examined two examples from Torcross, 

 while another 15 inches long is mentioned by Tarrell as having been obtained in 

 bhe London fish-market, and one 8 inches long from the mouth of the Tweed. 

 July 23rd, 1846, Mr. Cocks purchased one in the Falmouth market, and a few 

 days subsequently a second. March 1st, 1870, Mr. Cornish (Zoologist, 1870, 

 p. 2108) recorded one 1S\ inches in length from Penzance, where it had been 

 taken iu a grey mullet net, in shallow water ofi' a sandy beach. 



Leland. — Considerable doubts exist respecting the visits of this fish to. 



3 



