28 
BALLAN WRASS. 
have noticed above, of a tyrant male, from which the imprisoned 
females had been delivered by his death. 
As the Wrass is not much sought after by professional 
fishermen, and for the most is only used as bait for other 
fish, or for lobsters and crabs, it sometimes lives long enough 
to shew signs of advanced age, the chief of which is partial 
or utter blindness; and in this condition they occasionally 
wander until their ill-chance leads them to the dangers of the 
shore. This defect of sight is sometimes produced by an 
opaque cloud, which covers the usual transparent cornea of 
the eye; and at other times it has its seat in the substance 
of the crystalline lens within, in which case it is the same 
with what in man is termed the cataract. 
The Ballan ^Vrass is common on all the coasts of Britain, 
where the rocky bottom is such as to afford it food and 
shelter; and it is also found along the western shores of 
Sweden and Norway. It appears to be less common in the 
Mediterranean, and Risso says it is caught at Nice in July, as 
if it were subject to some periodical movement, which is not 
the case with us. 
The spawn is shed in spring, and the young, of small size, 
are seen about the borders of rocks, at the ebb of tide, through 
the summer. 
The Ballan Wrass is usually from fourteen to sixteen inches 
in length, with a weight of seven or eight pounds, and it has 
been known to reach the length of nearly two feet. The body 
solid, compressed, moderately deep, the shape sloping gradually 
from the nape to the point of the upper jaw, which protrudes 
a little beyond the lower. The lips fleshy and prominent, 
the upper more so than the lower, both having raised striated 
lines. Teeth firm, stout, slightly incurved, regular in the jaw; 
a double pair, more concealed, separate from each other, in 
front of the palate; a membranous veil forward in the mouth 
above and below, the latter occupying the place of the 
tongue. Jaws extensile. Nostrils above the line of the eye; 
a deep depression in front between the eyes. Eyes lateral, 
prominent. Body covered with oblong scales, the free portion 
of each clothed with a fine membrane in which the colour 
resides; the gill-covers also have scales, but none on the top 
of the head or before the eyes. Lateral line gently bent 
