92 
ACANTHOPTERYGII. 
“ D. fin, almost black in colour, rises from a deep groove in the back. 
“ Whole fish of a dark leaden hue ; lateral line very conspicuous, black, 
broad, and of similar breadth throughout — less than one-third the depth 
of the fish from the back ; upper lobe of C. fin longer than the lower ; 
eyes large, yellowish, irides dark brown ; scales large, firmly imbedded in 
the skin, transparent ; the colour of the black lines is in the skin itself, 
and is seen through the transparent scale. 
“ Cseca wide, about \\ inch long, their walls very thin, as were those of 
the stomach ; both nearly transparent; swimming-bladder large and silvery. 
“ Intestine, except at lower end, very thin, rather long, very wide, and 
containing large masses of vegetable matter, which, in the microscope, 
seemed to be chiefly Ceramium rubrum and Rhodomela subfusca deprived 
of their parenchyma, but their walls remaining entire and transparent. 
In the lower part of the intestine was the operculum apparently of a whelk 
(. Buccinum undatum )., with the firm muscular white part of the animal 
firmly attached to it, and unaffected by the digestive process, showing 
probably that vegetable food is that natural to the fish. The specimen 
was a male, the' milt very solid, presenting no appearance of spermatozoa 
when broken down and magnified.” 
Mr. Couch says of this species that — 
“It takes the common baits which fishermen employ for other fish, but feeds 
much on marine vegetables, upon which it becomes exceedingly fat.” — Yarr. 
B. F. vol. i. p. 131. 
This single specimen, as will be seen from the preceding notes, attests 
the correctness of the remarks respecting both bait and food. 
All the British localities for this species, named in the work just cited, 
are on the extreme southern line of the English coast. 
After I had contributed the foregoing particulars to the Annals Nat. 
Hist. (vol. xviii. p. 313), I received a letter from Major Walker, of the 
Lodge, Enniscorthy, dated 15th November, 1846, in which he says — “ I 
this year met with a black bream at Kilmore (County Wexford). It was 
of a dark steel-blue when fresh, but soon faded to black ; it was of good 
size, about 18 inches long, and much firmer than the common red-bream ” 
( Pagellus centrodontus ). 
Family Squamipinnati. 
Ray’s Sea-Bream, Brama Rail, Cuv. and Val. 
To Dr. R. J. Burkitt, of Waterford, we are indebted for the positive 
addition of this species to our fauna, this gentleman having lately contri- 
buted a native specimen to Dr. Ball, for the Museum of Trinity College, 
Dublin. The fish (of which a large and correct drawing has been sent 
me) was taken at Tramore, in the month of October, 1843. This is the 
first certain instance known to me of its occurrence on our coast. Mr. 
Yarrell (British Fish. vol. i. p. 134) gives it from M‘Skimmin’s List of 
the Fishes of Carrickfergus ; but, as remarked in my Report of the Ver- 
tebrata of Ireland, “ the propriety of the application of the name to this 
species is doubtful.” All that is said of it by M‘Skimmin is, “ Spams 
Raii ; hen-fish, a choice fish, rare.” The term hen-fish is applied by our 
fishermen to one or two other species of somewhat rare occurrence. 
Family SCOMBRIDJB. 
The Mackerel, Scomber Scomber , Linn., 
Is common around the coast, Belfast Bay, Strangford, Dublin, and 
Youghal. On 20th April, 1846, 1 saw several dozen of mackerel, about 
