THE SMALL-MOUTHED WRASSE. 
133 
fins, but none on these fins ; anal fin with five or six spinous rays, ventral 
scale half the length of ventral fin, no blackish spots on body or fins. 
D. 19 + 6 ; A. 6 7 ; P. 13 ; Y. 1 5 ; C. 14, and some short — 
Br. 5. 
Detailed description. — Length 3 inches ; depth to entire length nearly 
as 1 to 3^ ; first quarter of dorsal profile sloping moderately upwards, 
second flat, third turning rather suddenly downwards, and terminating 
with the dorsal fin ; thence straight to the base of the caudal fin ;* ven- 
tral profile very convex, sloping equally from both extremities to centre ; 
head occupying about one-fourth of entire length ; jaws equal ; mouth 
small ; lips double, much resembling those of Labrus maculatus, Bl. ; 
teeth strong, rounded or truncated at the summits, not serrated, a single 
row of twelve, rather uniform in size in the lower jaw ; two rows at the 
interior part of upper jaw, those of the outer row the larger, and seven in 
number, exceeding the teeth of the lower jaw in size ; eyes large, more 
than their diameter distant from the snout, their distance from each other 
equal to their diameter ; a row of pores round the eyes, and some on the 
top of the head ; pre-opercle somewhat rounded at the base, ascending 
rather obliquely, strongly serrated, the denticulations extending half-way 
along its base, covered with small scales : opercle somewhat triangular, 
covered with large scales ; scales on the body very large, smooth, and 
roundish at their free margins ; three rows above lateral line, nine below 
it ; lateral line for two-thirds anteriorly placed high, at one-fourth of the 
depth, and the precise form of dorsal profile ; ventral central ; dorsal fin 
commencing at one-fourth of the entire length from snout, and continu- 
ing to near the tail, ending almost in a line with the anal fin ; first ray very 
short, but they gradually increase to the twenty-fourth, which is longest ; 
a membranous filament near the point of each spinous ray ; pectoral fin 
two-thirds the length of head, originating in the same line with the dor- 
sal fin ; ventral fin beginning at about one-third of the entire length from 
the head ; ventral scale about half the length of ventral fin ; anal fin ori- 
ginating nearly in a line with the fifteenth spinous ray of dorsal fin, and, 
like it, when laid against the body, reaching to the outer short rays of the 
caudal fin, the dorsal rather exceeding the anal in length ; caudal fin ob- 
scurely rounded, and covered with scales at the base for one-fourth of its 
length ; scales of the body concealing the base of the dorsal and anal fins, 
but none on the fins. 
Having had an opportunity in the present month (October, IBSY) of 
looking over the collection of fishes obtained on the coasts of the Coun- 
ties of Londonderry and Antrim, during the progress of the Ordnance 
Survey, I had the satisfaction of seeing three specimens of the C. micros- 
toma, , which were liberally offered for my use by Captain Portlock, B. E., 
who at the same time suggested that, if desirable, a drawing of one of 
them should be made by the gentleman attached as draughtsman to the 
Survey. To this kindness I am indebted for the drawing which accom- 
panies the paper, the original specimen having been too much dried up 
by exposure on the beach to be available for this purpose. Of these in- 
dividuals, the first was obtained at the mouth of Lough Foyle (County 
Londonderry), and the others in the small bay at Carnlough, where the 
* Two specimens have this form ; the other two have the dorsal profile 
finely arched, and from the centre slope equally to each extremity ; in these 
the ventral profile is rather less convex than in the former. The difference is 
probably sexual. 
