268 ACANTHOPTERYGIL 



Varieties. — Couch's figure gives seventeen spines to the dorsal fin, and a broad 

 dark band or blotch over the anterior half of the free portion of the tail. 



Names. — -Rock cool; small- mouthed wrass. 



Habits. — Frequents rough stony gound and deep waters, feeding on minute 

 Crustacea and dead animal substances, consequently mostly seen while crab-pots 

 are in use, or during the summer months, when the young likewise frequent rock 

 pools. 



Means of capture. — Mostly in crab-pots, going in after the baits, which it tears 

 little bits off and sucks them in; while, owing to its small mouth, it is rarely 

 captured by line fishermen. 



Habitat. — Coasts of Greenland, Norway and Sweden, to those of the British 

 Isles. Two small examples were caught in Kirkwall Bay in December, 1850 

 (W. Baikie, Zool. 1853, xi, p. 4019); it has been observed at Banff (Edward) ; 

 and along the south coast of our western counties. Lieutenant Spence sent a 

 specimen from Cawsand to the British Museum. I have taken several at 

 Dawlish. Couch did not consider it rare in Cornwall. 



In Ireland — it has been taken on the N". E. and W. coasts (Thompson) ; at 

 Carnlough in Antrim in June, 1836, by Dr. Drummond, and a second by the 

 Ordnance Survey, which latter party likewise obtained it at Lough Eoyle, county 

 Londonderry ; and Mr. M'Calla recognized it at Roundstone. 



The example figured was captured^y myself in a rock pool near Dawlish in 

 August, 1881. 



It is said not to exceed four or five inches in length. 



