32 ACANTHOPTERTGII. 



Breeding. — Risso found that his Aurata orphus deposited its eggs on the 

 shingly shore in summer. 



Habitat. — From the Canary Islands in the north Atlantic as far as the British 

 coast, where a straggler has been obtained : through the Mediterranean, including 

 the Gulf of Genoa. 



The single undoubted British example hitherto recorded "was one weighing 6 lb. 

 20 inches in length, and captured by bait, November 8th, 1842, at a rocky ledge 

 termed the Edges, about two miles south of Polperro in Cornwall, and was at once 

 taken to Mr. Couch. Its form is of the variety orphus, but its colours were those 

 of the Pagrus vulgaris. 



This species is said to attain to 11 lb. or more. 



The figure is from Couch's stuffed example : the teeth after Steindachner's 

 figure, I.e., and taken from another specimen, as Yarrell has figured this apparatus 

 from Couch's specimen in which they are injured or worn from age. 



2 Pagrus auratus, Plate XII. 



Xpv<ro<ppvs, Arist. i, c. 5, ii, c. 17, iv, c. 10, v, c. 10, vi, c. 17, viii, c. 2, 13, 15, 

 19 ; Athen. vii, p. 328 ; -<Elian, xiii, c.^ 28, xvi, c. 12 ; Oppian, i. p. 7. 



Aurata, Columella, viii, c. 16 ; Plin. ix, c. 16 ; Belon. pp. 192, 193 ; Rondel. 

 v, c. 2, p. 115, c. fig. ; Salvian. fol. 1746, 175 ; Gesner, pp. 110, 128 ; Jonston, 

 De Pise. lib. i, t. 3, c. i, art, 8, p. 70, t. xix, f . 2 ; Willughby, p. 307, t. V, f . 5 ; 

 Ray, p. 131. Aurata vulgaris, Aldrov. ii, c. 15, p. 171. Sparus, No. 1, Artedi 

 Genera, 25, Syn. 63 ; Gronov. Mus. Ich. p. 38, No. 90 ; Duhamel, Peches, ii, Sect. 

 4, pi. xi, f. i. Mochar, Osbeck, Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. iv, p. 100. Lunulated gilt 

 head, Pennant, Brit. Zool. (Ed. 1) iii, p. 240, not pi. xlii (Ed. 2) iii, p. 327, not 

 pi. xlvi. 



Sparus aurata, Linn. Mus. Ad. Fr. 2, p. 62, and Syst. Nat. i, p. 467 ; Hasselquist, 

 Iter. Palest, p. 337i Briinn. Pise. Mass. p. 36; Gmel. Linn. p. 1270 

 Bloch, t. 266 ; Bl. Schn.p. 270 ; Lacepede, iv, p. 57 ; Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 234 

 Martens, Reise nach Venedig. ii, p. 424; Flem. Brit. Anim. p. 211 

 Johnston, Fish. Berwick. Mag. Nat. Hist, vi, 1833, p. 15 ; Jenyns, Man. 

 Brit. Vert. p. 353. 



Sparus scriptus, Bl. Schn. p. 279. 



Chrysophrys aurata, Cuv. and "Val. vi, p. 85, pi. cxlv; Guichen. Expl. Sc. 

 Alger. Poiss. p. 48 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fish. (Ed. 1), i, p. 97, c. fig. (Ed. 2), i, 

 p. Ill, (Ed. 3), ii, p. 135; Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 221; White, Catal. Brit. 

 Fish. p. 17; Gunther, Catal. i, p. 484; Steind. Sitz. Ak. Wiss. Wien, 1867, lvi, 

 p. 658. 



Chrysophrys crassirostris, Cuv. and Val. vi, p. 98, pi. cxlvi ; Gunther, Catal. i, 

 p. 484. 



The gilt head, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, i, p. 243, pi. Ivii. 



Pagrus auratus, Steind. Ich. Spanien u. Port. 1867, p. 56. ^ 



B. vi, D. -H, P. 16, V. 1/5, A. xx?^, C. 17, L. 1. 75-86, L. tr. 8-9/19, Coec. 

 pyl. 3-4, Vert. 10/14. 



Length of head 4 to 4|, of caudal fin 5J to 5|, height of body 3| to 3£ in 

 the total length. Eye — 3| to 5| diameters in the length of the head, lj- 

 to 2| diameters from the end of the snout and also apart. Interorbital space 

 rather convex in adults. Preorbital 2/3 as high as long. The lower jaw 

 not quite so long anteriorly as the upper : the maxilla reaches to beneath 

 the front edge or even (in the young) the first third of the eye. Teeth — 

 an anterior row of about 6 conical teeth in either jaws : laterally rounded molars 

 increasing in size posteriorly and forming 2 rows in the lower and 3 in the upper 

 jaw, the posterior and internal ones of which are the largest, increasing in 

 size with age. None on the vomer, palatines, or tongue. Fins — dorsal spines of 

 moderate strength, the 3rd and 4th being somewhat the longest. Pectoral longer 

 than the head. The second and third anal spines of nearly the same length 

 and strength. Caudal forked. Scales — with slightly irregular edges and straight 

 parallel lines, 7 rows cross the cheek between the eye and the angle of the 



