Page:Natural History, Fishes.djvu/159

Rh his personal observation, in the Mediterranean, adorn these fishes in their living state,–viz., the margin of the fin purple or dark red, the basal

part pink, and the intermediate portion orange or yellow, a combination of tints very ornamental. The caudal has eleven rays, of which the middle one is the longest; its shape is that of a spearhead.

The Band-fish is sometimes taken with the hook, but such a circumstance is rare; and naturalists are in general indebted for their acquaintance with it to the violence of storms. Noticing this fact, Mr. Yarrell makes the following suggestions. “Does their elongated form prevent their swimming with ease in mid-water, and,