CALLA.N WRASS. 
27 
from boats near sunken rocks and gullies which they are known 
to frequent, the bait being a worm of the beach, or, what is 
to be preferred, a portion of some sort of crab, of which an 
example that has lately thrown off its covering or crust is the 
best. It is on such matters, together with several sorts of 
shell-fish and green sea-weeds, that they commonly feed. I 
have taken the limpet-shell (Patella) from the stomach. The 
bait IS swallowed eagerly, but when hooked they struggle with 
much violence. 
^ The beds of pharyngeal teeth, which are situated low down 
m the gullet, form a remarkable character in this fish, and 
require to be mentioned as being intimately connected with 
the nature of its food and its digestion. They are formed of 
two smaller triangular beds of blunt teeth above, with round 
tops, and planted on a bed of bone, and of a larger trian- 
gular bed opposed to them on the under side. And to render 
these teeth more firm for the work they have to perform, 
contrary to the example of teeth in the jaws of fishes, they 
are implanted in the substance of the bone itself, from which 
they appear to be renewed when their usefulness is destroyed. 
It IS a question whether their employment is to act upon the 
food as It passes into the stomach, or rather that the grinding 
action IS brought to bear upon it when it becomes regurgitated, 
in a manner which bears an analogy to the action of rumi- 
nation in the ox and sheep. It is a confirmation of this last- 
named opinion that the sea-weeds and other matters usually 
existing in the stomach are found to be in a short time ground 
into a pulp. It might be supposed that the arrangement of 
these guttural teeth would lend assistance in the discrimination 
of doubtful species in this family; but observation shews that 
this is liable to some variation, and consequently must not be 
relied upon. 
Fishermen have informed me that when they resort to a new 
station. It is usual at first to catch a Wrass— one or more— 
o the larger size, and afterwards, on going to the same spot, 
hey find more m number, but of less weight; and from this 
hey have drawn the conclusion that the older fishes had kept 
e young ones at a distance as long as they were able to 
retain the dominion. It may have been some incidents like 
IS which led ancient observers to construct the story we 
