318 ANACANTHINI. 



none on the palatines or tongue. Fins — the first dorsal commences above the 

 posterior end of the opercle, extending to above the last third of the pectoral : 

 the length of its base equals half that of the head. Although the usual number 

 of ccecal appendages was twelve, I have found them increased up to 20. Colours 

 — of a light chestnut or reddish-chestnut, becoming lighter or even white beneath. 

 A number of black spots or blotches on the upper surface of the head, cheeks, 

 back, and sides of the body, and usually also present on the dorsal and pectoral 

 fins. Montagu observes that these black spots do not appear until the fish 

 attains to 6 or 7 inches in length, up to which time they may be Mustela alia, Ray. 

 But Thompson obtained from. Strangford Lough a spotted example, 3| inches 

 long, only those under 3 inches being unspotted. 



All my examples have proved to be males : so were Thompson's. Dr. Giinther 

 considers some skins from our coasts, which agree with mine, as pertaining to 

 M. macidata, they differ from the other British examples in possessing an outer 

 row of stronger teeth in the upper jaw, but are otherwise similar. Such as have 

 no outer enlarged row of teeth in the upper jaw, he considers M. tricirrata. At 

 the end of May, 1881, I received from Mr. Dunn some beautiful examples of the 

 young of this fish captured at Mevagissey, they were up to Ij inches in length. 

 Length of head 1/4 of the total : upper surface of the head flat : eyes 1 diameter 

 apart. The end of the ventral fin deep black, and also a black axillary spot. 



Varieties. — Mr. Dunn observes that the most beautiful variety off Mevagissey 

 is captured in thirty or forty fathoms of water. It is of a general cream colour, 

 with the spots of an intense black. 



Names. — Termed whistler or whistle-fish (? weasel-fish, Tarrell) in the west of 

 Cornwall. Also locally called sea-loach, three-bearded cod, and three-bearded gade : 

 gossat, Folkestone : St. Mary's trout, Penrhyn. Bonst dwrone, Irish : slippery- 

 Jemmy, Dalkey, Dublin Bay. La Motelle a trois barbillons, French. 



Habits. — Ground feeder. It frequents rocky shores and shallow water, but 

 one was taken in August, 1867, off Folkestone in 30 fathoms of water, and it has 

 been found in stomachs of fish taken at 40 fathoms. Obtained where sea- weeds 

 cover oozy ground, retiring under a stone. It feeds principally on crustaceous 

 animals and small fish, while it is particularly partial to the cuttle. 



Means of capture.— Often taken with a bait, as it is very voracious. It makes 

 a rush at its food and twists itself round it. 



Breeding. — Thompson found the milt highly developed in two male examples he 

 received from Donaghadee in October. Parnell observes that it sheds its spawn 

 in January and February. At the end of winter Couch has known it large with 

 spawn, also in April. 



As food. — Said to be good and formerly much esteemed in Cornwall at genteel 

 tables, but now it is not much employed except by the poor, as a few hours after 

 death its odour is anything but pleasant. 



Habitat. — West coast of Norway, shores of the North Sea, European coasts of 

 the Atlantic, and throughout the Mediterranean. 



Of this fish a single example has been taken at Stromness (W. Baikie) : it is 

 generally rare on the east coast of Scotland but has been recorded from the Moray 

 Firth (Harris, Zool. ix, 1851) : the young from Banff (Edward) : Aberdeen (Sim) : 

 Firth of Forth rare, much more so than the five-bearded form (Parnell) : near 

 Carlisle (Yarrell) : resident and common off Yorkshire (Yorkshire Vertebrata) : 

 Norfolk estuary (Plowright), and one example at Sherringham (Gurney) : 

 Folkestone (Buckland) : not rare at Weymouth (P. Gosse) : Exmouth and 

 Devonshire and Cornish coasts (Montagu) : very common in the latter county in 

 rock pools (Cornish). I have frequently obtained it from Brixham and near 

 Penzance. Bangor (Buckland) : from near Chester (Willughby). 



In Ireland it is taken sparingly round the coast (Thompson) : abundant in 

 Dublin Bay where it is chiefly caught on conger lines taking a herring bait. At 

 Belfast rare (Templeton) : recorded from Down, Antrim, and Donaghadee, and is 

 said to be very common in Roundstone Bay, Connemara (McCoy). 



The example figured is a male, 13 inches long, from Penzance. Fleming has 

 recoi'ded specimens up to 18 inches in length, Pennant to 19, and Thompson to 20. 



