Page:Natural History, Fishes.djvu/203

Rh None of our native fishes can compete with the Labri for richness and variety of colour; though in elegance of form and changeable opaline splendour, the Mackerel is still their superior. Orange and blue of great brilliancy are the prevalent colours, generally arranged in stripes, but interchanged with green, lilac, and other colours. The rich tints of blue are considered to be in some measure dependent on the health and high condition of the fish; and are liable to vanish with remarkable rapidity when the body is immersed in spirits. But the bright colours may be retained, as it seems, by a different mode of preservation; for Donovan speaks of specimens of the rare and lovely Labrus lineatus, in his possession, in which the natural colours were admirably well retained. The skin in this case had been removed, and divested of the flesh with great care, while perfectly fresh, and then well prepared.

The largest species we have on our shores is the Ballan Wrasse (Labrus maculatus, .), of which the rare little fish just mentioned is,