250 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Catal. iii, p. 518, and Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. (4) xvii, p. 395 ; Canest. Faun. 

 Ital. p. 137 ; Steind. Ich. Span. u. Port. 1868, p. 21 ; Gill, Amer. Fish. Report, 

 1873, p. 793 ; Giglioli, Pesc. Ital. p. 33 ; Moreau, Poiss. France, iii, p. 175. 



Macrorhamphosus comutus, Lacep. v, pp. 136, 137. 



Solenostomus scolopax, Risso, Ich. Nice, p. 80. 



Trumpet-fish, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iii, p. 21, pi. cxxiv. 



B. iv, D. 5-7/11-12, P. 16, V. 5, A. 19-20, C. 6+9+6, Vert. 8/16. 



The length of the head equals or rather exceeds its distance from the base of 

 the caudal fin : of the caudal fin 3| to 4 in the length of the head : height of body 

 equal to about 1/2 the length of the head. Eye — diameter equal to the 

 postorbital length of the head, 3/4 to 1 diameter apart. Body compressed : snout 

 likewise compressed and elongated into a tube, terminating anteriorly in a small 

 mouth, with an oblique cleft and the lower jaw somewhat anterior. Preopercle 

 oblique and finely serrated. Serrations likewise present along the anterior half 

 of the lower margin of the orbit. Teeth — absent. Fins — first dorsal commences 

 midway in the distance between the end of the opercle and base of the caudal 

 fin, its first spine short : its second long and compressed, equalling in length 

 rather above 1/2 the length of the body excluding the head and caudal fin : 

 striated laterally, serrated posteriorly, its last three spines very short : the first 

 two rays of the second dorsal are shorter than the next three, the remainder 

 decrease in length to the last, all undivided. Pectoral twice as long as the eye, 

 its rays unbranched. Ventral small, with five rays, and receivable into a groove. 

 Caudal emarginate. Scales — small, ridged, and each ridge having a spinate 

 termination: they are present over the body, head, and base of the snout, while 

 some minute ones are found along the outer third of the eye, except in its anterior 

 fourth. Abdominal edge sharp, cutting, compressed, and with a few spines along 

 its lower margin. Colours — rosy dashed with golden, darkest along the back 

 where it is sometimes of an olive tint : sides and lower surface silvery. 



Names. — The trumpet, bellows-fish, woodcock or snipe-fish. Becasse, French. 

 Habits. — Resides at a moderate depth preferring a muddy bottom. It is a 

 slow swimmer, while due to the size of its mouth it must live on minute substances. 

 Breeding. — In the Mediterranean during the spring (Risso) : the young being 

 seen near shore in the autumn, when they are of a bright silvery colour. 



As food. — Donovan observes the flesh is very palatable and wholesome, 

 according to the accounts of those who have visited the south of Europe, and 

 eaten them, but being small they are esteemed of little value. 



Habitat. — A stray wanderer to the south coast of Britain, and is found in the 

 Mediterranean, where, however, it does not appear to be numerous. An example 

 has likewise been taken at Massachusetts : and a specimen has been received at- 

 the British Museum from Tasmania. 



Respecting the number of British specimens it does not seem impossible that 

 they may have been unduly multiplied, and the similarly coloured boar-fish, 

 Capros aper, which was first recognized in Cornwall in 1825, has been recorded 

 as a Centriscus ; for instance, the fragment found in Mount's Bay in 1853, 

 which was too imperfect for preservation. Sir T. Brown observes upon one 

 having been given him by a seamen of these seas, which may have been from 

 Norfolk, but proof of this appears to be wanting. An undoubted British 

 example, 5 inches in length, was thrown on shore at Menabilly, near Fowey in 

 St. Austell's Bay, Cornwall, in 1804, and which was recorded in Pennant's second 

 edition, 1812 : it is not improbable that this may be one of those referred to by 

 Donovan, who in 1804 observed, " We are acquainted with one or two, if not 

 more, well authenticated instances of its having been observed on the western 

 coast of England, about Devonshire and Cornwall," but he does not seem to have 

 personally examined the fish. Mr. R. Couch is alluded to by Yarrell as an 

 authority for two more Cornish examples, but his statement is as follows : 

 " Mr. Chergwin told me that he had seen a specimen taken in Mount's Bay, and 

 a fisherman tells me he has taken another off Cape Cornwall " (Zoologist, 1847, 

 p. 1612). Thus the evidence of Mr. R. Couch is merely given at second hand. 



