462 COLONEL MONTAGU ON NEW AND RARE 



cinereous, tinged with red, and occasionally deep- 

 brown, bordering on black : the sides of the head 

 under the eye, usually red : the under parts from 

 the chin to the caudal fin, white : the spine on 

 the margin of the operculum of the gills, is 

 short : the dorsal fins reddish, the two anterior 

 spines excepted : pectoral fins underneath, orange- 

 red, clouded and speckled with dusky and 

 brown, the outside paler : the three^ digits brown, 

 tipped with pale red : ventral fins white on the 

 outside, pale red within : the anterior half of the 

 anal fin is white, the rest bright orange-red : the 

 caudal fin is mostly red, with a little mixture of 

 dusky, and is a trifle forked when spread : the 

 ridge of the back on each side the dorsal fins, 

 strongly serrated. 



The number of rays in the fins, are, dorsal 9 — 1 8 ; 

 pectoral 10; ventral 6; anal 18. 



This species is taken in great abundance on the 

 western coasts, where it is generally supposed to 

 be the Red Gurnard, though usually confounded 

 with others under the provincial name of Tub. 

 It rarely exceeds fifteen or sixteen inches in 

 length. Is frequently taken by bait, fishing for 

 Whiting, as well as by the shore-nets ; and as it 

 is subject to so much variation in the colour, 

 those of the darkest kind, with very little red on 

 the head and sides, have been brought to me for 

 a distinct species ; for many in the highest per- 



