152 



industrious and attentive Naturalists of the present day have 

 been more fortunate than their predecessors in obtaining a 

 knowledge of this species. Risso makes no mention of it in 

 his Ichthyologie de Nice ; and Cuvier is equally ignorant of 

 it, for his Pagrus Orphus is a very different fish, and he sup- 

 poses the Orphe of Rondeletius, to which I have referred the 

 fish now described, to be no other than our common Sea 

 Bream : the Pagellus centrodontus of his own work. The 

 Dorade Orpbe of Risso is pronounced by Cuvier to be his 

 own Pagellus Orphus. We see that it is represented by 

 Rondeletius as solitary and rare, and by Oppian as only 

 locally common ; while even Pliny's remark, that it had only 

 been described by Ovid, though erroneous in itself, yet leads 

 to tbe inference tbat according to his information it was not 

 often caught: these are circumstances which, taken together, 

 will assist us in understanding tbe reasons of the doubts 

 which have hitherto hung over this species. 



Tbe specimen above referred to is deposited in the national 

 collection in the British Museum. 



SHORT SEA BREAM. Pagellus curtus. C. Zoologist, 

 vol. 2, p. 393. 



On tbe second of September 1843, a fisherman took with 

 one of bis ordinary baits a Sea Bream, which he presently 

 discerned to have never before fallen under his notice ; and 

 in consequence it was transferred to my possession as soon 

 as he reached the land, which was before sufficient time had 

 elapsed to allow it to undergo any change. Its length was 

 one foot two inches, the greatest depth nine inches and a 

 half, and, in proportion to the kindred species, it was of 

 considerable thickness. The under jaw was slightly the 

 longest, the teeth in front and forward on the sides slight, 

 conical, and somewhat scattered ; gape moderate. Eye very 

 large, being one inch and three eighths across; nostrils in a 

 depression before the eyes, in this respect and in the cheeks 

 for tbe most part resembling the common Sea Bream, 

 (Pagellus ctntrodontusj but slightly differing in the mark- 

 ings of the head. The body thick and plump; scales on 

 the cheeks and body large, those on tbe binder part of the 

 body, especially above tbe lateral line, having well marked 

 festooned edges ; those on the anterior part less regularly 

 so. Lateral line at first mounting, arched, sinking opposite 

 the ending of tbe dorsal and anal fins, waved in its course, 

 and mouuting again as it approaches the caudal fin ; at its 

 origin a large black spot. Pectoral fins very long, reaching 

 to within a short distance of the termination of the anal fin, 

 being in length four inches and three quarters, and passing 

 two inches beyond the vent. Commencement of the dorsal 



