16 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



(Zoologist 1866, p. 348). It does not appear to extend to the Straits of Dover on 

 the east, nor so high as the Bristol Channel on the west. It has not been recorded 

 from Ireland. 



It attains to at least a foot in length. The example figured, which is 10 inches 

 long, was obtained at Mevagissey by Mr. Dunn. 



2. Serranus gigas, Plate V. 



Perca gigas, Briinnich. Pise. Mass. p. 65, No. 81 ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1315. 



Holocentrus gigas, Bl. Schn. p. 322 ; Rafin. Indice, p. 17 ; De la Roche, Ann. 

 Mus. xiii, p. 318. 



Holocentrus merou, Lacep. iv, p. 377 ; Risso. Ich. Nice, p. 289. 



Sen-anus gigas, Cuv. and Val. ii, p. 270, pi. xxxiii ; Yarrell, Brit. Fish. (Ed. 1) 

 i, p. 15, c. fig. (Ed. 2) i, p. 14 (Ed. 3) ii, p. 132 ; Exp. Scient. Moree, Zool. 

 Geoff. St. Hilaire, &c. 1832, pi. xvi, f. 1 ; Jenyns, Brit. Vert. p. 333 ; Guichen. 

 Explor. Sc. Alger, 1850, Poiss. p. 35; White, Catal. of Brit. Fish. p. 11; 

 Giinther, Catal. i, p. 132 ; Steind. Ich. Span. & Port. 1867, p. 11, and SB. Ak. 

 Wien, lxxiv, p. 175. 



Perca robusta, Couch, Mag. Nat. Hist, v, p. 21, f. 7. 



Serranus marginatus, Lowe, Pro. Zool. Soc. 1833, p. 142. 



Serranus fimbriatus, Lowe, Trans. Candor. Phil. Soc. 1836, p. 195, pi. 1 ; Val. 

 in "Webb and Berth. Ich. p. 8. 



Serranus caninus, Val. 1. c. p. 10. 



Serranus cernioides, Brito Capello, Journ. d. sc. Math. &c. No. ii, p. 156 and 

 No. iii, p. 12, Est. iv, f. 1. 



Busky Perch, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, i, p. 198, pi. xliii. 



B. vii, D. -^Jnr, P. 16-17, V. 1/5, A. ¥ ? ¥ , C. 17, Ccec. pyl. 12 (19 to 20 0. V.) 

 L. 1. 120-130. 



Length of head 3| to 2>\, of caudal fin 6-§, height of body 3f to 4 in the total 

 length. Eye — diameter 6 to 7 in the length of the head, lj to \\ diameter from 

 the end of the snout, and 1 to If apart. Lower jaw the longer. The maxilla 

 reaches to beneath the hind edge of the eye. Preopercle serrated, most coarsely 

 so at its angle. Sub- and inter- opercles entire. Teeth — villiform in jaws, on vomer 

 and palatines. Fins — dorsal spines of moderate strength increasing in length 

 to the third, which equals nearly 1/2 the length of the head. Soft portions 

 of dorsal and caudal rounded. Scales — ctenoid, about 12 rows between the base 

 of the first dorsal ray and the lateral-line. Colours — reddish-brown on the back 

 becoming lighter on the sides and beneath : two oblique lines on the gill-covers 

 passing backwards and downwards. 



Modes of capture. — Takes a bait : Couch's example, which was 3 feet long and 

 weighed 19 lb., was thus obtained. 



Breeding. — In warmer climates it deposits its ova in shallow water during the 

 months of April and May. 



As food. — It is held in some estimation in the countries to which it resorts. 



Habitat. — This fish, of which occasional wanderers have been captured along 

 the south coast of England, is found in the Mediterranean, also Madeira and as 

 far south as the Cape of Good Hope, as well as on the eastern shores of North 

 America, being plentiful and of large size at Rio de Janiero. Risso observes that 

 it only visits Nice during the summer and autumn. 



In the British Isles its captures have been almost confined to the south coast. 

 It was first observed by Couch, one example having been taken at Polperro : two 

 are recorded by Cock from Falmouth, one of which was sent to the British 

 Museum : while Mr. R. Couch (Zool. 1846, p. 1401) remarked that the late 

 Mr. E. Chirgwin informed him that two specimens had been caught in Mount's 

 Bay, and observes that one if not more have been obtained at Penzance. 



This fish attains to a large size, as up to 3 feet in length, and 60 lb. in weight, 

 while a figure drawn natural size of the head of one captured at Penzance still 

 exists, it is 16 inches long, which would make the example at least 52 inches in 

 its entire length. I have to thank Professor Peters, Director of the Zoological 

 Museum at Berlin, for the example which is figured. 



