82 
ACANTHOPTERYGII. 
The Armed Bull-head or Pogge, Aspidophor us cataphr actus, Jen., 
Is found around the coast, and is a common fish. 
The largest specimen taken by the Ordnance Collectors is said to have 
been 6 inches long, which is a very large size for the species to attain — at 
least on our northern coast. 
It is a deep-sea fish, and is most frequently captured in the dredge ; I 
have occasionally found it along with other fishes, in the stomachs of cod. 
“ Taken abundantly above the Pigeon House in the Liffey.” — Hr. Ball. 
Templeton had only seen one specimen, which may be accounted for by 
the fact, that that naturalist was not in the habit of using the dredge or 
trawl. 
The Bergylt or Norway Haddock, Sebastes Norvegicus, Linn. 
Mr. W. Andrews obtained several specimens of the Norway haddock 
off Dingle Bay, a few years ago, as recorded in the proceedings of the 
Dublin Nat. Hist. Society. I am not aware that this fish had been pre- 
viously observed upon our coasts. 
The Three-Spined Stickleback,* Gasterosteus aculeatus, Linn., 
Is common from North to South. 
In the Annals of Nat. Hist, for April, 1841, I published the following 
observations on the several species of stickleback ( Gasterosteus , Linn.) 
found in Ireland : — 
In the Histoire des Poissons of Cuvier and Valenciennes, the Gasterosteus 
aculeatus of Linnaeus is divided into several species. The views there adopted 
are followed in Great Britain f by Mr. Yarrell and Dr. Parnell in their respect- 
ive works ; but in Mr. Jenyns’s Manual four of these species — all that have 
been recognised as British— -are, after a close comparison of examples from the 
same pond, and of these again with others from different waters, reduced to one 
species. J Having myself compared specimens of the fish in question from still 
more numerous localities than the last-named author, I arrive at the same con- 
clusion in so far as it extends ; but go still further and venture to consider six 
or seven of the species of the Hist, des Poiss. as in reality but one, assuming 
so many different appearances. To allude to the extreme accuracy of descrip- 
tion characteristic of that truly great work — the Hist, des Poiss. — would be 
most superfluous. On another point altogether the different view adopted in 
the present paper turns — namely, on the permanency of characters there attri- 
buted to the 3-spined Gasterosteus. 
In this genus, Ireland possesses all the forms which are included in 
the British catalogue. An additional one — G. semiloricatus, Cuv. and 
* Vulgarly called Spricklebag in the North of Ireland, Thornback at Killalo, 
and Pinkeen imsome localities. 
t Nilsson, in his Prodromus Ichthyologiee Scandinavicae, published in 1832, 
thus describes varieties of Gast. aculeatus , Linn. : — 
“a. Capite, a latere inspecto, magis acuto; spinis dorsalibus longioribus, 
media longitudinem capitis dimidiam aequante et dimidiam corporis altitudinem 
superante. 
“/3. Capite, a latere inspecto, magis obtuso; spinis dorsalibus brevioribus; 
media multo breviore quam 4 capitis et dimid. corpor. altit.” — p. 86. 
This authofimakes G. trachurus synonymous with G. aculeatus , Linn.; he does 
not offer any opinion on the species of Gasterosteus in the Hist, des Poiss. 
J In a note to p. 350, Mr. Jenyns observes with reference to G. brachycentrus, 
that “it is more than probable that some of the other foreign Gasterostei de- 
scribed by Cuvier are mere varieties of this species”— G. aculeatus , Linn. 
