Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 1 (1843).djvu/112

84 cessors in obtaining a knowledge of this species. Risso makes no mention of it in his 'Histoire des Environs de Nice.' I have only the figures (without the text) of Cuvier's work on Ichthyology to refer to, but the plate of his Pagrus Orfus so essentially differs from the fish under consideration, that I have no hesitation in deciding on their being distinct. We see that it is represented by Rondeletius as solitary and rare, and by Oppian as only locally common; while even Pliny's remark, that it had only been described by Ovid, though erroneous in itself, yet leads to the inference that according to his information it was not often caught: these are circumstances which, taken together, will assist us in understanding the reasons of the doubts which have hitherto hung over this species.

The specimen above referred to, is deposited in the national collection at the British Museum.

Polperro, December, 1842.

Gold fish, with vegetable fibres growing from an ulcer on its back.

A few years ago a friend of mine had a gold-fish, kept living (as usual) in a glass vase. From some unknown cause it became affected with an ulcer on the back, and from the ulcerated surface a very delicate tuft of vegetable fibres protruded to the length of an inch or more. The fish at length died, and at my request my friend Dr. James Moore of Belfast, made the drawing which I now enclose.