cottim:. 51 



water is said to be fatal to its existence, such cannot always be the case. Mr. 

 Gurgon states (Zool. 1844, p. 121G) that in the summer of 1843 he took several, 

 which are locally termed " rock dolphins," with a hand-line from off the Brighton 

 chain-pier. One was kept half-an-hour out of water, and subsequently seven 

 hours in fresh water, it was then while apparently quite well transferred to sea 

 water and took no notice of the change. It died during the night. Adult forms 

 of G. Grainlandicus are found to be active and swift when pursuing their prey, 

 following them even to the surface, devouring blennies, herring, cod, and even 

 salmon, but it must be remarked that these fishes in the Arctic Ocean are said to 

 attain to six feet in length. Donovan observes that they will follow sharks and 

 other voracious fishes with the greatest temerity, lashing and wounding them with 

 their spines, and effectually driving them from those places where they are 

 accustomed to hunt themselves : to the blennies it is a desperate enemy. 



Breeding. In Greenland it has been observed to deposit its eggs on the sea- 

 weed in December and January. Its eggs are very small, and in this country 

 are extruded during the spring in the sand or pools in rocks. The male is said 

 to make a nest of sea-weeds and pebbles for the reception of the spawn, while 

 he is also believed to watch over as well as to protect the young when hatched. 



Baits. I found in the stomach of the one figured (natural size on plate xx) 

 a crab one inch across the carapace. It readily takes a bait : according to 

 Crantz, in Greenland it resorts to the deeper waters of the bays and is fished for 

 with long lines, the bait used being a white bone, glass bead, or piece of red 

 cloth : four hooks are used placed cross-wise. They are occasionally speared. 



As food. Not used in this country, but appears to be approved of in 

 Greenland. The males, however, are said in Shandinaviens FisJcar to be con- 

 sidered poisonous, while the females are eaten by the poor. 



A fisherman, annoyed at finding one of these fish among his shrimps, attempted 

 to bite off its head, when it struggled, escaped into his throat, became fixed in his 

 larynx and occasioned suffocation. (Angler's Note Book, 1880, p. 177.) 



Habitat. Prom the Arctic Ocean and North Atlantic in both hemispheres, 

 the North Sea and the Baltic, round the British Isles. In Newfoundland G. 

 Grcenlandicus is abundant (Saxby, Zool. 1871, p. 2553). The British form must 

 be considered a degenerated variety of the Greenland bull-head. 



Common round the British coast, and very numerous in the Orkneys and 

 Shetland Isles. The variety, G. Groenlandicus, was taken in 1858 in a salmon-net, 

 at Montrose (J. Richardson, Zoologist, 1860, p. 6993) : while in 1880 large 

 numbers of the British variety were received at the Westminster Aquarium from 

 Brighton, and which had the brilliant Greenland livery. 



Found in Ireland all around the coast throughout the year, especially in .small 

 bays where much Fucus abounds. G. Groenlandicus has been taken on south-west 

 coast of Ireland in Dingle Harbour, in February, 1850. 



In Greenland, as already observed, this fish is said to attain to 6 feet in length, 

 the largest recorded example in Great Britain being 15 inches. 



2. Cottus bubalis, Plate XX, fig. 2. 



Gottus, Artedi, Gen. p. 49, sp. p. 86 ; Gronovius, Zoo ph. no. 268 ; Sea Scorpion, 

 Edward, 284 ; Tonning inTrondhj, Selsk. Skr. ii, p. 345, t. xiii, xiv; The Father- 

 lasher, Low, Faun. Oread, p. 206. 



La scorpene, Belon. p. 242. Scorpius marinus, Schonevelde, Ich. p. 67, 

 t. vi ; Jonston, De Pise. t. xlvii, fig. 4. Scorpcena Belonii similis, Wil. Ich. p. 

 138, t. H. 4, f. 3 ; Ray, Pise. p. 145. 



Gottus scorpitis, pt. Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 452, and Fauna Suec. No. 323 ; 

 Pennant, British Zool. (Ed. 1), iii, p. 218, pi. xl (Ed. 2), iii, p. 294, pi. xliv ; 

 Gronov. ed. Gray, p. 102. 



Gottus bubalis, Euphrasen, N. Schwed. Abhandl. vii, 1786, p. 64, t. iii, f. 2, 3 ; 

 Bloch, Schn. p. 62 ; Cuv. and Val. iv, p. 165, pi. lxxviii ; Yarrell, Zool. Journ. iv, 

 pp. 470, 508, Brit. Fish. (Ed. 1), i, p. 63, c. fig. (Ed. 2), i, p. 78 (Ed. 3), ii, p. 58 ; 

 Jenyns, B. Vert. p. 345 ; Ekstrom, Fische Morko, p. 182 ; Fries och Ekstr. p. 27, 

 t. vi, f. 1, 2; Thompson, Pro. Z. S. 1835, p. 80; Nat. Hist. Ireland, iv, p. 81 ; 



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