192 Fishes. 



fish has the power of extending and contracting at will. When ex- 

 tended, it takes the form of a hog's snout, hence the name of boar- 

 fish. I suspended the fish under a glass shade, and placed a few sea 

 weeds &c. on the stand. When quite completed, I made a painting 

 of it, and succeeded in representing the colours pretty correctly. I 

 shall be most happy for my performance to be shown to any of your 

 correspondents who will call at No. 3, Cranbourn St., Brighton. 



Waring Kidd. 

 Brighton, April 12, 1843. 



[Our correspondent having with great kindness forwarded to us his painting of this 

 rare fish, our artist has made a very accurate engraving from it, which we have much 

 pleasure in presenting to our readers as the only figure of a British specimen of the 

 boar-fish that has ever been published. It will be observed that it differs very remark- 

 ably from Mr. Yarrell's figure,* in the elongate snout-like mouth. Mr. Yarrell's fi- 

 gure was drawn from a specimen in the museum of the Zoological Society, presented 

 by the Rev. R. T. Lowe, of Madeira, where it was captured. The following quotation 

 from the ' History of British Fishes,' comprises a record of all that is known of this 

 rare fish. — Ed^ 



Note on the Boar-fish. A specimen of the Capros Aper of authors having been 

 taken in Mount's Bay^ in October, 1825, and -a notice of the occurrence forwarded to 

 the Zoological Society, with a drawing and description by Dr. Henry Boase, a figure 

 and short account necessarily belong to a ' History of British Fishes.'. Its right to 

 rank among them is confirmed by the fact, that at the moment of preparing this ac- 

 count, by the united kindness of W. C. Trevelyan, Esq., of Nettlecombe, and Mr. 

 William Baker, of Bridgewater, I have been favoured with a notice of the occurrence 

 of a second example of this rare fish, which was obtained in Bridgewater fish-market 

 on the 18th of April, 1833. A drawing of the fish, made while the specimen retained 

 its natural colour, also accompanied the communication. Mr. Baker has since been 

 kind enough to give me his specimen just referred to, and Mr. Harvey, of Teignmouth, 

 has recently obtained an example of this rare fish on the Devonshire coast. The Ca- 

 pros, according to the ancient authorities, was known to Aristotle. It is figured and 

 described by Rondeletius, and again by Willughby,f as quoted. It' is said to have 

 been called by several names that signify wild boar and marine boar, on account of its 

 projecting nose and mouth, the form of the head, and its bristling spines. — History of 

 British Fishes, hy William Yarrell, i. 191. 2nd ed. 



Note on the Preservation of Fishes. Mr. Kidd has transmitted a specimen of the 

 streaked wrasse {Lah-us lineatus), as an example of his mode of preserving fishes. We 

 have placed it in the hands of our publisher, Mr. Van Voorst, who will be happy to 

 show it to any of our readers. The great desiderata, preservation of form and colour, 

 appear to be perfectly attained. — Ed. 



* British Fishes, i. 190, 2nd ed. f Willughby, p. 290, p. T. iv. fig. 4. 



