452 COLONEL MONTAGU ON NEW AND RARE 



by Dr Shaw, Zool. iv. tab. 62., called Bufonites ; 

 but the great dissimilarity of the bony plates be- 

 set with teeth, found in the fauces of these fishes, 

 forbid their being brought together. Commer- 

 SON, who it seems presented Buffon with a draw- 

 ing of the Bufonites, observed also another species 

 in the Indian Sea much allied to it, and which 

 has been figured by Cepede ; but I should scarce- 

 ly dare venture to refer to either of these lineated 

 Spari, found to inhabit an oriental climate, even 

 if other circumstances better corresponded. At 

 present, I have searched in vain for synonyms 

 to the lineatus ; at any rate, it is a species that 

 has undoubtedly escaped the notice of all British 

 naturalists who have written on native ichthy- 

 ology, although it is by no means an uncommon 

 fish on the south coast of Devon. 



Back much arched and carinated : the lower 

 "^angle of the caudal fin shorter than the upper. 



The front of the head from the mouth, round 

 the eyes, and for half an inch or more behind 

 them, across the crown, is destitute of scales, of a 

 yellowish-brown colour ; under the eye a scaly 

 space, below which is another smooth part, taking 

 in the margin of the upper plate, and the edge of 

 the posterior plate of the operculupi of the gills ; 

 the smooth parts the same colour a? the last, but 

 the edge of the upper plate is blue ; from the 

 smooth part on the top of the head, an arched 

 line runs downwards, which is also smooth and 



