THE LITTLE GURNARD. 
79 
that the parents must have spawned in January and December. I have 
obtained the young of similar size in September and October ; hence they 
must spawn at different seasons, or twice in the year. I send you a young 
specimen, which I have examined. You will find that in the spinous 
processes of the head and serrations of the dorsal ridges it possesses all 
the characteristics of the mature fish.” 
The Little Gurnard, Trigla pceciloptera , Cuv. and Val. 
In the Zool. Proc. for 1837, 1 published the following notice of an Irish 
specimen of this fish — the first (and hitherto the only) one procured in 
the British Islands : — 
* “ Trigla pceciloptera , Cuv. and Yal. Little Gurnard. 
Amongst a number of fishes submitted to my examination by Mr. Ball 
is a gurnard, apparently of this species, which was taken at Youghal, I be- 
lieve, along with sprats ( Clupea Sprattus), early in the Summer of 1835. 
In form it agrees in every character by which the T. pceciloptera is said to 
be distinguished (Cuv. and Yal. Hist, des Pois., t. iv. p. 447). Judging 
from its present appearance, I have little doubt that when recent it would 
in colour also have corresponded. Its length is 2 inches ; D. 10 (last ex- 
tremely short) — 15; P. 10 — 3, free; Y.-|-5; A. 15; C. 15. 
Second dorsal ray longest ; 25 dorsal spines ; caudal fin, a little forked; 
lateral line spinous. Thence to D. fin, and to about an equal distance be- 
low the line, rough with spinous scales (this is not mentioned by Cuv. and 
Yal.) ; lower portion of sides smooth. 
With the T. aspera, Viviana, as described in the last-quoted work, t. 
iv. p. 77, and which in length is stated like the Tri. pceciloptera to be 
about 4 inches, the present specimen agrees in many respects, but chiefly 
differs in the profile being less vertical, in the anterior lobes of the snout, 
and in the negative character of wanting ‘ une echancrure transversale et 
profonde,’ behind the posterior orbital spine ; nor with the highest power 
of a lens can any of the anterior dorsal spines be distinguished as ‘ den- 
telee,’ nor the first and second rays of the D. fin as serrated, both of which 
characters are attributed to T. aspera. 
In the course of this examination, specimens of T. Cuculus , Bl., T. 
lineata, T. Hirundo, T. Pini, Bl., and T. Gurnardus, were before me. T. 
Lyra was not available ; but the remarkable development of the anterior 
lobes of the snout in this species would -have rendered its comparison 
with the specimen under consideration unnecessary. 
The T. pceciloptera has previously been obtained only at Dieppe, where 
it was discovered by M. Valenciennes.” 
Mr. Yarrell, in his Hist, of Brit. Fishes, voL i. p. 49, after referring to 
the above specimens, says : — 
“ M. Valenciennes, at my request, very kindly sent me over a beautiful colour- 
ed drawing of this species, and comparing this representation with the small 
specimen from Youghal which had been intrusted to me, I am also induced to 
consider it identical, and have accordingly given this species a place among British 
Fishes.” 
* Since the above was written I have had an opportunity of comparing the 
Trigla here treated of with two specimens of T. aspera — one 3§, the other 4f, 
inches long, which are part of a collection of fishes sent last year from Corfu to the 
Belfast Natural History Society, by Robert Templeton, Esq., Royal Art. This 
comparison served strongly to confirm everything above stated. The T. aspera 
is admirably described by Cuv. and Yal. 
