r.oAm. 
71 
smooth-cheeked species; and thereby become liable to the penalty 
of suffering a laceration of his throat, as the struggling victim 
may be urging his passage into his stomach. 
This fish sheds its spawn in April and May. 
It rarely attains to five inches in length; the head rather 
depressed, sloping from the eyes, which are small, to the snout; 
the front moderately rounded. The mouth arched, gape small, 
jaws weak, upper lip with six barbs, a pair of which are at the 
Corners of the mouth. The body lengthened, round at first, 
afterwards compressed, slightly deeper at the origin of the dorsal 
fin, but behind this nearly equal to the tail. Lateral line nearly 
straight. The surface covered with slime; scales little percep- 
tible, not in regular order, and none on the head or throat. 
Origin of the single dorsal fin about half-way between the snout 
and origin of the caudal fin, with nine or ten rays. This fin 
IS immediately above the ventrals, and ends before the origin 
of the anal; which last fin is by INIr. Yarrell described as having 
SIX rays, and by Nilsson as furnished with nine. The ventrals 
have nine; pectorals large, round, with thirteen rays; the tail 
t^der than long, straight or round. The colour is prettily 
■'"aried; — the back more or less a darkish green, with dark 
firown bfotches and stripes; below pale yellowish white. All 
tlie fins have a tendency to yellow; dorsal and caudal, and 
partly the pectoral, with stripes of brown. 
