444 Contributions towards a 



larity, by the supposed two species being taken in like quantity at 

 the same time and place,, and with the same bait. The C. Cornu- 

 bicus is, under the name of " Corkwing," admitted by Mr Couch 

 occasionally to want the black spot on the tail, (Mag. Nat. Hist. 

 Vol. v. p. 18,) and is in this state considered by him to constitute the 

 " Gibbous Wrasse" of Pennant. I, believing the C tinea and 

 C. Cornubicus to be identical, am inclined to think the gibbous 

 wrasse is an accidental variety of C. tinea. The only thing like 

 a specific difference that I can perceive in any of the characters in- 

 cluded under "form' in the C. gibbus, is its greater depth, which 

 is to its length as three to eight, — the average depth of C. tinea I 

 find to be as three to nine, and the proportion varies, — though cer- 

 tainly, not so far as 1 have observed, according to any peculiarity of 

 colouring, which is supposed to mark C. tinea and C. Cornubicus. 

 The only difference between them in colour worthy of remark is, 

 that C gibbus has a " dusky semilunar spot above each eye," and 

 the " pectoral fins marked at the base with transverse stripes of 

 red." The C. tinea has a " dusky" mark behind the eye, which 

 does rarely reach above it posteriorly, and amongst my specimens 

 is one exhibiting three transverse stripes of red at the base of the 

 pectoral fin, though all the others have but one stripe. Finding 

 specimens of the C. tinea thus varying both in form and colour, I 

 have not a doubt of the C. gibbus being an accidental variety of it, 

 an opinion which is much strengthened by one individual only hav- 

 ing ever occurred. With these views, it appears to me that the 

 name of C. tinea should be used to designate the species, and C 

 Cornubicus and C. gibbus to mark its varieties. This species, in 

 its ordinary aspect, and in that of the variety first mentioned, pro- 

 bably occurs on all the rocky parts of the Irish coast. I have seen 

 specimens of both from a wide range of the northern, eastern, and 

 southern shores. 



Since the above was read to the Zoological Society, I have ob- 

 served in the collection of my friend R. Ball, Esq. a fish named by 

 him C. gibbus, which further serves to illustrate what has been 

 just advanced. This specimen, which was taken at Youghal, is in 

 length 8 inches, its greatest depth of body, exclusive of fins, 2 inches 

 7 lines, — the depth to length thus being as 1 to 2| — The fin rays 

 are : 



D. 16 + 9. A. 3 + 10. V. 1 + 5. P. 15. C. 15, and some short. 

 Its profile from the mouth to the commencement of the dorsal fin 

 is even more vertical than represented in Pennant's figure of the 

 gibbous wrasse, but here, instead of about the centre of this fin, is 



