yarrell’s blenny. 
109 
I have never met with this sp. on the shore or in rock-pools accessible 
between tide-marks where the B. pholis is so common ; nor have I known 
it to be taken by dredging or trawling on our coast. The remark already 
made on the depth at which it is taken is interesting, and with my nega- 
tive observations, indicate its being a deep-water sp. Mr. Couch too, I 
find, mentions it keeping “ in the neighbourhood of rocks in water 4 or 5 
fathoms’ depth,” on the coast of Cornwall. 
Yarrell’s Blenny, Blennius Yarrellii, Yak, 
Has been obtained in one locality. 
The only Irish specimens of this fish which I have seen are two which 
were taken by the collectors of the Ord. Surv. at Carrickfergus in May, 
1 839, and' which were kindly submitted to my inspection by Colonel Portlock, 
that the species might be included in my Report on the Fauna of Ireland. 
The following are my notes made upon examination of these fishes : — 
1st specimen. — 7^ inches, depth of body 1 inch. D. fin. in height 
full half the depth of body ; D. 52, in height very uniform throughout, 
but the 3 first rays somewhat the longest and adorned with filaments 
two-thirds of their length ; 1st ray with its filament 13 lines long ; next 2 
gradually shorter; 2nd ray longer than 1st, but filament of 1st rather ex- 
ceeding that of 2nd — it may not be perfect ; 1 and 2 with filament may 
be reckoned much the same. A. 40. 1st ray very short, thence much of 
an uniform length till near the end, where they become rather large, the 
rays barely equal in length to the D. 
P. 14; V. 3; C. 17 in all; some of the long rays reckoned as two 
apparently joined at bases. Anterior filaments 2 lines, posterior 5 lines 
long, Br. rays 5 on each side. 
Between the eye and lip on each side is an appendage of 1 ^ line long. 
2nd specimen. — Length 5i inches, depth of body 9 lines. D. 52 ; A. 
38 ; Y. 3 ; P. 13 ; C. 18 in all, and as above. Br. rays 5 on each side. 
The larger fish is in colour darker throughout on body and fins than this. 
An Orkney specimen given to me in 1840, being one of several taken 
under stones at Kirkwall Bay, Orkney, by Dr. Duguid, was 4f inches 
long ; D. 54 ; filaments to anterior rays hardly perceptible though the fin 
is perfect. A. 39 ; V. 3 ; P. 14 ; C. 19 in all. 
One of the best figures of Fish in Pennant’s Brit. Zool. is of this species, 
under the name of Crested Blenny. The white base of the A. fin is well 
shown, and though not just so well, this colour is represented nearly as 
it appears in the D. fin. In the smaller Irish specimen these fins had 
much more of the white than in the larger. 
In June, 1846, Professor Allman obtained a mutilated blenny, thrown 
up by the tide among sea-weed at Dalkey, which appeared to him to re- 
semble this species more nearly than it did any of the others figured by 
Mr. Yarrell. Dr. Ball also examined the specimen, and was of opinion that 
it was the B. Yarrellii, but it was so much injured that he could not 
determine the species with certainty. 
James Hill, a fisherman at Newcastle (County Down), on looking over 
the figures in Mr. Yarrell’s British Fishes, informed me in October, 1851, 
that when searching for limpets he had seen this blenny among the sea- 
weed covering the rocks in that locality. 
