WRASSES. 
17 
The lateral line runs much nearer the back than 
the belly and contains from 36 to 38 scales, which are 
smaller than those of the nearest rows and have the 
hind margin notched obliquely upwards so that the lower 
corner is longer than the upper. Above the lateral line 
there are three rows, of ordinary scales, four rows in all, 
including the row of smaller scales at the base of the tin. 
Below the lateral line from 10 to 12 rows. 
In the dorsal fin there are 17 hard and pungent 
rays and 9 soft and articulated, or 18 hard and 8 soft, 
the last ray being split to the base. As a rule, the 
first two soft rays are, on the contrary, undivided. The 
anal fin, the posterior corner of which is somewhat 
pointed, has the membrane incised and a flap be- 
hind each spinous ray, as usual: it consists of 3 hard 
rays and 8 or sometimes 7 articulated soft rays, all 
except the first branched at the tip. The pectoral fins 
are very thin and transparent. They are made up of 
14 rays, the first being short and hard, the second 
simple and the others branched at the tip. The caudal 
fin has the corners rounded and the hind margin also 
slightly rounded: it consists of 13 true rays, the highest 
and lowest of which are simple at the point and shorter 
than the others which are split. At the base of the 
fin there are the usual rows of scales between the rays. 
In brilliancy of colouring the Goldsinny is far in- 
ferior to its kindred species, but still not without beauty. 
The upper part of the body is of an almost unvaried 
brown, the sides greenish with marks or spots at the 
base of each scale forming broken, longitudinal bands. 
On the sides of the belly, in the third or fourth row 
of scales below the lateral line, these spots become rusty 
yellow. The belly is bluish white without spots. A 
dark brown band, interrupted by the lower margin of 
the iris, runs from the upper lip to the margin of the 
preoperculum. This band is coasted above by another 
of pale green, which stops at the anterior orbital margin. 
The iris is of a dark reddish brown, with a ring of 
lighter colour at both the inner and the outer margin, 
and a bright green spot in the superior part. 
Most characteristic of this species, however, is the 
uniform colour of the fins, which are without any 
spots or bands, if we except the anterior part of the 
dorsal, ivhere the fin membrane between the first four 
or five rays is of a deep black half-way up, and from 
the fourth to the seventh has some bluish green streaks 
at the base. The Goldsinny is also sufficiently easy to 
recognize in most cases by the round black spot at the 
superior margin of the base of the caudal fin, which is 
always present except in the youngest specimens (up to 
a length of about 40 mm."). The latter have instead 
a brown spot at the top and bottom of the base of 
the caudal fin. 
From the remarks already made with regard to 
the variations of colouring in fishes we may conjecture, 
and rightly too, that the Goldsinny does not always 
correspond to the description given above. The spe- 
cimen represented in the figure is one of the finest in 
colouring we have ever met with. As a rule the colo- 
ration is duller and fainter, and the shades of colour 
are more numerous. However, as this species is un- 
mistakably distinct from the others, we should be un- 
necessarily diffuse, were we to give a more detailed 
description of these variations, especially as none of 
them is remarkable or preponderant. Before leaving 
this point, however, we must point out a remarkable 
change of colour which the Goldsinny can effect in a 
moment. When the fish is at liberty, it has 14 dark 
spots on the sides, obliquely crossing the lateral line 
so that there are 7 above and 7 below. These spots 
disappear instantly when the fish is touched and do not 
re-appear until it has been let alone for some time. 
Many other proofs have been given of the power which 
fishes possess to change their colour at will; but a more 
striking example than this, which was discovered by 
Fries fifty years ago, can scarcely be adduced even 
at the present time. 
In its internal structure the Goldsinny most closely 
resembles the Ballan Wrasse. 
Of all the European wrasses the Goldsinny is the 
most common and most widely spread species. It is 
found from the coast of Pomerania in the Baltic h along 
Denmark and up the west coast of Scandinavia as far 
as Trondhjem c at least. To the south it occurs off the 
whole west coast of Europe and in the Mediterranean, 
in the inner part of which it is said to be less common. 
In Bohusl&n during the summer it stays close to jetties 
and steep rocky shores where the water is only a fathom 
or so deep. At such spots it may be seen in small 
bodies seeking its food a little way from the bottom 
° Vid. Malm, 1. c. 
b Cf. Mobil'S and Heincke, Fische der Ostsee, p. 72. 
c Cf. Collett, 1. c. and Storm, Norsk. Vid. Selsk. Skr. Trondlij. 1883, p. 28. 
Scandinavian Fishes. 
3 
