THE BLENNY FAMILY. 251 



tiolaceus, and Heterostichus rostratus, often selliiig as "eels," at thirty cents per pound. In 

 general these fishes are, from an economic point of view, entirely insignificant, and probably not a 

 hundred pounds a year of them are sold on the whole coast. The Lumpenus anguillaris is often 

 taken in large numbers in the seines, but a prejudice seems to exist against it and no one will eat it. 

 The following is a list of the Blennioid fishes: Lumpenus angmllarix (Pallas) Gill, from Capr 

 Mendocino northward; abundant. Apoilichthys violnteus (Ay res) Grd.; Xiphixtrr ntjtextrix .lor. & 

 Gilb. ; XipUister mucosus (Grd.) Jor.; A7/>/m7;r cliinix .lor. & Gilb. : Aproplnrclnix atropurpureits (Kitt- 

 litz) Gill; Apodiehthys Jiuvidun Grd.; Apodichtliys fucorum Jor. & Gilb.; all these living among 

 rocks and ranging from Monterey to Alaska; MurwnoiAes ornatus Girard, from Cape Mendocino 

 northward; Cremnobates integripinnis Rosa Smith; Gibbonsia elegans Cooper, and Hypleurochilus 

 gent ilia (Girard) Gill, among rocks, chiefly from Point Coucepciou southward; and finally Neochnus 

 satiricus Grd., Neoclinus Blanchardi Girard, and Heterostichus rostratus Girard, living in the kelp 

 along the shore from Monterey to Lower California. 



78. THE TOAD-FISH BATEACHUS TATJ. 







The Toad-fish, Batrnfhm tau, called also on the coast of .New Jersey and in some parts of the 

 Southern States "Oyster-fish," is one of the most repulsive looking fishes upon our coast, with its 

 dark, slimy, almost shapeless body and its mud- wallowing habits. In general appearance it resem- 

 bles a sculpin without prominent spines upon its head or upon its fins. Although it is armed 

 with by no means insignificant spines, which are capable of inflicting serious cuts, when touched 

 they show no disposition to bite, but erect their opercular spines in a very threatening manner; 

 these are so covered by the lax skin that they can scarcely be seen. 1 



Species of this family inhabit the coasts of nearly all the tropical and temperate regions of the 

 world. The American species was the first brought to notice, specimens having been sent about 

 1761 from South Carolina by Dr. Garden to Linnaeus, by whom it was described under the name 

 Uadu* tax, the great Swedish naturalist considering it to be a kind of codfish. The name which 

 he gave it refers! to a character not discernible except in dried specimens, the bones of the upper 

 surface of the J^Lile forming a group of ridges which resemble in shape the Greek letter T. 



Our species is found in shallow waters from Cape Cod south at least as far as to the mouth of 

 the Mississippi River. In the Gulf of Mexico, however, it is fouml in deep water, and many large 

 ones are taken on the snapper grounds at a considerable distance from shore. In the South it 

 would appear to be somewhat more active in its habits, though frequently found on the oyster- 

 beds, hiding between the valves of empty oyster-shells. 



There are at least three distinct forms : (1) The northern variety, rarely exceeding ten, twelve, 

 and even fifteen inches in length, the general color of which is brown coarsely marbled with darker 

 marks. ('2) The southern variety of Giiuther, which is found on the Florida Keys and in the Gulf, 

 though often associated with the northern variety, which is similar in color to this, but has the 

 lindy and the fins dotted and spotted with white. (3) A form found only in the Gulf, Batrachttx 

 )Mrdu8, which is much larger and of ?, light-yellow color spotted and blotched with brown. This 

 form is known to the fishermen as the " Sarpo" and the "Sea-robin," the former name being doubt- 

 Jess a corruption of the Spanish word sapo, meaning toad. This form is said by Mr. Stearns fre- 

 quently to attain the length of eighteen inches. The color of these fish usually corresponds very 



'A closely related form, Tlialasiophryiie maculona, which occurs on tho Atlantic side of the isthmus of Panama, 

 bus true poisouiug glands at the base of its opercular spines, by un.-aus of which it can inflict injurious wounds; this 

 Uwing almost the only fish whioli possesses weapons of tliis character. 



