2 of the whiting; head obtuse; upper jaw longest, having four barbs, the under jaw one; teeth in both jaws; gill membrane with seven rays; eye large and bright; pectoral and ventral fins rather large for the size of the fish; a ciliated membrane placed in a chink behind the head; the dorsal and anal fins reach almost to the tail, which is large and straight; scales deciduous; colour on the back a bluish green, belly and fins silvery. C. Sp. Ch. Back bluish green, all besides silvery, five barbs. It is the mackarel midge of our fishermen, to whom it is well known, though hitherto unnoticed by naturalists. For brevity's sake, I have retained only the name Midge, which is probably descriptive of its minute size; being the smallest fish I have any knowledge of. Compared with the minnow, it is minute; and, placed by the side of the mighty whale, "That sea-beast, which God of all his works it seems to illustrate the creative energy of that Being in whom all live and move; for these also" are his offspring." It may, perhaps, be the fish alluded to by Ray (Syn. Pisc., p. 165.), and seems to be one of the many spoken of by the older naturalists under the name of Apua. From their minute size, and the multitudes in which they sometimes appear, they judged them produced by spontaneous generation from the froth of the sea or the putrefaction of marine sub stances. This species is gregarious and migratory, making its first appearance about the middle of May. Through the summer, and particularly in fine weather, they are in considerable numbers, swimming near the surface, when they are followed by mackarel and pollacks, and other fish, which devour multitudes of them. When winter approaches, they disappear; but it can scarcely be supposed that they go to a great distance. * The word midgein means a very small quantity, in common language, in Cornwall. I find also the word midge used for a gnat in Hawkins's edition of Walton's Angler, part ii. p. 104. SPANISH BREAM (SPA`RUS L. ERYTHRINUS C.); Class III. Thoracic Fishes. This species (fig. 3.) bears a great resemblance to the sea bream, and will best be described in comparison with it. It is the size of a small bream; the body rather more slender; head flatter on the top; eyes smaller, inclining to oval. Before the eye the head is more protruded; the mouth with a wider gape. Front teeth as in the bream; grinders more broad and blunt; scarcely a depression before the eyes to receive the nasal orifices, though in the bream they are conspicuous; fins as in the bream, even to the numbers of the rays, except the pectoral, which in the bream reaches opposite to the third ray of the anal fin; in this fish, opposite only to the vent. There is no lateral spot. This description agrees so well with what Ray delivers of the Erythrinus (Syn. Pisc., p. 132.), that I suppose it to be the same fish. The name given above is that by which it is known to our fishermen. It is rare, as I have never seen above two or three specimens. Its habits seem to be like those of the bream. CORKWING (LA BRUS L. GIBBUS L.); Class III. Thoracic Fishes. This species (fig. 4.) is about three times as long as it is broad, and much compressed; jaws equal, mouth narrow, gape small, teeth regular; first plate of the gill covers serrate, gill membrane with five rays; large scales on the head and body; lateral line nearer the back, bending down suddenly opposite the termination of the dorsal fin. Pectoral VOL. V.-No. 23. C fin round, with fourteen rays; dorsal fin with sixteen firm and nine soft rays; ventrals close together, with six rays, the outermost firm; anal fin with three firm and nine soft rays, the last two from one root; tail slightly rounded, with fourteen rays. Colour of the head and summit of the back brownish; stripes of red and green on the gill covers; sides a faint green with numerous lightish red stripes. The fins are similarly variegated, but all the colours, though subject to variety as in others of this genus, are fainter than in most others. Near the tail, close to the termination of the lateral line, is a conspicuous black mark, which is sometimes wanting; and then it seems to me to constitute the gibbous wrass of British naturalists, which is therefore only a variety of the above. The iris of the eye is marked with yellow, green, and crimson, in concentric circles. It rarely exceeds 4 in. in length. The corkwing is common among rocks in shallow water, where it seeks shelter among the sea-weeds; it is often found among them in pools left by the tide. It feeds on crustaceous animals, and takes a bait. WRASS (LA BRUS Lin. LU'SCUS, Lin. ?). This specimen (fig. 5.) was 22 in. long, the greatest depth, exclusive of the fins, 24 in., the body plump and rounded. Head elongated, lips membranous, teeth numerous, in several rows, those in front larger and more prominent, rather incurved. Eye moderately large. Anterior gill plate serrate, six gill rays. Body and gill covers with large scales. Lateral line nearer the back, descending with a sweep opposite the termination of the dorsal fin, thence backward straight. Dorsal fin, twenty-one firm, eight soft rays, the fin connected with the latter expanded, reaching to the base of the tail; pectorals round, fourteen rays; ventrals six rays, the outermost simple, stout, firm, tipped; between these fins a large scale. Anal fin, six firm, eight soft rays, the latter a soft portion expanded. Tail round, fifteen rays. Between each ray of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins is a process formed of firm elongated imbricated scales. Colour a uniform light brown, lighter on the belly; upper eyelid black; at the edge of the base of the caudal fin a dark-brown spot. Pectorals yellow, all the other fins bordered with yellow. one specimen of this species; February, 1830, at the conIt differs from the common From I have never seen more than which was taken with a line, in clusion of a very cold season. wrass and corkwing in its more elongated form and rounder make; from the former also in its serrated gill cover. the rock-cook and goldsinny it may be distinguished, besides in its larger size, by its longer form, larger mouth, rounder tail, and by the spot at the root of the tail being farther behind. The eye is larger than in the cook, and nearer the angle of the mouth; it may also be distinguished by the serrated gill cover, form of the lateral line, by more numerous tipped dorsal and anal spines, less rounded tail; as well as by the colours, which are sober, whereas those of the cook are always splendid, and are little subject to variety, except of distribution. From all the species with which I am acquainted, it may be readily known by the singular imbricated process of scales between the rays of the fins. I find some difficulty in referring it to any described species; but it seems to me to approach most closely to the Labrus lúscus of Lin næus. HOG WRASS (LA`BRUS SUI'LLUS L.). Dorsal fin filamentous, above the tail a black spot; dorsal spines nine. Osbeck is my only authority for introducing this species among Cornish fishes. When on his voyage from the East, the people of the Scilly Islands brought it, among other fishes, on board of his ship for sale. (Osbeck's Voyage, vol. ii. p. 122.) The English name I have assigned it is merely a translation of the Linnæan term. SMOOTH PERCH (PE'RCA L. CHA'NNUS C.); Class III. Thoracic Fishes. I had long unavailingly sought for a satisfactory account of this species in the books on natural history to which I was able to procure access, when I had unexpectedly the good fortune to discover it in Gesner (Nomenclator Aquat. Anim., p. 27.), under the name of Chánnus, or Chánna; his figure and account being strikingly applicable to this fish in a peculiarity I had remarked before I was attracted by the note in this ancient author, from which, indeed, the name is derived. "Channa piscis moriens perpetuo hiat, ac rictum edit.” * As * " The Channa, whilst dying, perpetually gasps and eructs." the Channus, or Chánna, of Gesner is unquestionably the Channa of Ray (Syn. Pisc., p. 140.), it is the Labrus Chánnus of Turton, though it possesses none of the characters of a wrass. It must, therefore, be denominated Pérca Chánnus. This fish (fig. 6.) is about 10 in. long. Under jaw longest ; teeth in both and in the palate, numerous, irregular, sharp, incurved; tongue small, loose. Eyes large, near the top of the head. First plate of the gill covers serrate, the second with two (in the female, one) obscure spines, scarcely to be distinguished, except in form, from the scales with which the gill covers and body are thickly and firmly covered, and which are also ciliated. Seven rays in the gill membrane, curved, the superior broad. Body compressed, deep; the dorsal fin commences opposite the ventral, ten sharp and fourteen soft rays; pectoral fin ending in a point, fifteen rays; ventrals with six rays; anal with two pointed and seven soft rays; caudal fin slightly curved, seventeen rays. Lateral line nearer the back. Colour of the back brown, in some specimens having distinct bars running round to the belly; sides yellow, reddish or saffron-coloured, more faint below; two irregular parallel whitish lines pass along the side from head to tail; a third, more imperfect, on the belly. On the gill plates are several faintish blue stripes, running obliquely downward. The fins are striped longitudinally with red and yellow, pectorals wholly yellow. I have suspected this to be the P. diagramma Lin., comparing his specific character with the description of that species given by Gronovius; but I feel some doubt, since the latter is spok en of as inhabiting Indian rivers. Until this obscurity was removed by discovering its name in Gesner's Nomenclator Aquat. Anim., p. 27., as noticed above, I had ventured to name it P. inérmis. It is the comber of our fishermen ; but this name having been irrecoverably assigned to a species of wrass, I am compelled to affix a name of my own invention, viz. smooth perch. It is a common fish, and keeps in the neighbourhood of rocks, not far from land. It is singular that the spasm which seizes this fish, when taken, never passes |