GTMNODONTES. 271 



Tetrodon lagocephalus, Linn. Amcen. Acad, i, p. 310, t. xiii, f. 4, and Syst. 

 Nat. i, p. 410 ; Block, Ich. iv, p. 954, pi. cxl ; Gmel. Linn. p. 1444 ; Giinther, 

 Catal. viii, p. 273. 



Tetrodon stellatus, Donovan, Brit. Fish, iii, pi. lxvi ; Turton, Brit. Fauna, 

 p. 116 ; Flem. Brit. An. p. 174 ; Jenyns, Manual, p. 489 ; Thompson, Nat. Hist. 

 Ireland, iv, p. 243. 



Tetrodon curvus, Mitchell, Fish. New York, p. 472. 



Lagocephalus Pennantii, Swainson, Fishes, ii, p. 328 ; Bonap. Faun. Ital. iii, 

 t. f . 2 ; Canestrini, Faun. Ital. p. 147. 



Tetrodon Pennantii, Yarrell, Brit. Fish. (ed. 1) ii, p. 347, c. fig. (ed. 2) ii, 

 p. 457 (ed. 3) ii, p. 426 ; White, Catal. p. 116. 



Promecocephalus lagocephalus, Bibron, Mis. p. 108 ; Moreau, Poiss. de la 

 France, ii, p. 72. 



Pennant's Globe Fish, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iv, p. 373, pi. ccxliv. 



D. 12-14, P. 14-15, A. 12-14, C. 12. 



Lengtk of kead 4| to 4|, of caudal fin 5| in tke total lengtk. Eyes partly 

 situated in the hind half of the head. Nasal organs distinct, situated in a 

 prominent papilla, in which one is at each end. Back broad and not compressed. 

 Teeth the beak or jaws divided by a median suture. Fins tke dorsal and 

 anal in tke posterior kalf of tke total lengtk, and placed opposite one anotker. 

 Pectoral two-tkirds as long as tke kead. Caudal somewkat forked. A distinct 

 fold of skin along tke side of tke tail. Under surface of tkroat and abdomen 

 covered witk four-rooted fixed spines placed at a skort distance apart, otkerwise 

 tke body is unarmed. Colour of a deep steel blue along the back and upper 

 third of the body, silvery white on the sides and beneath : sometimes there are 

 round dark spots. Fins unspotted. The young kave eigkt or nine cross bands, 

 and usually black spots on tke abdominal surface. 



Names. Globe-fish, from its being able to distend itself into a globular form : 

 Stellated globe-fish, due to its spinate dermal armature. Crop-fish, due to tke 

 distension of its sesophagus. Heulbysg crothog, Welsh. 



Habits. Those of the tetrodon in British waters have not been observed, as it 

 is very rare, but in tropical countries where it is common, it distends its crop and 

 floats securely on the surface of the waves, while should it be assailed by an enemy 

 it turns towards suck tkat portion of its body wkick possesses a spinate covering. 

 Habitat. Coasts of Britain and also of East Africa, but is very rare in 

 European seas. 



Two kave been recorded from tke Orkneys (Baikie, Zool. 1853, p. 3847) : 

 a stuffed one 13 inckes in lengtk was in tke Aberdeen University Museum, in 

 May, 1881. 1859, August, a specimen 20| inckes long was left by tke tide in 

 tke Solent (Penny, Zool. xvi, 1860, p. 6892) : tke first Britisk example recorded 

 was from Penzance, and 1 foot in lengtk (Pennant) : October 26, 1867, one 

 19 inckes long was taken near Truro in Cornwall : an example from Mount's Bay 

 was recorded by Boase (P. Z. S. 1833, p. 115) : October 26, 1868, one 19 inckes 

 long was taken at Penzance (Zool. p. 1484). One 17^ inckes long from Ckar- 

 moutk in Dorsetshire is in tke Britisk Museum, and an example 15 inckes long 

 is in tke museum of Weston-super-Mare, and may be a local one. At Amrotb, 

 near Tenby, Mr. Lock says tkat one was taken lately (Land and Water, Oct. 26). 

 Couck tells us, witkout mentioning tke years, tkat one kas been taken near 

 Polperro, and several in Mount's Bay, two being captured tkere witkin a montk, 

 one 22^ inckes long on August 27, tke other on Sept. 17, wkile on tke 29th of 

 the same month a third was secured at St. Ives. 



Ireland. County of Waterford from Tranmore Strand by Dr. Stokes (Tem- 

 pleton, Mag. N. Hist. 1837 (2) i, p. 413) : in 1852, Sept. 26, one 21 inckes long 

 was wasked askore at Waterford after a N.E. gale (Sargent, Zool. xi, p. 3848) : 

 in 1850 one 18 inckes long was recorded from near Wexford (Hopkins, An. and 

 Mag. (2) p. 311) : in December, 1854, one was washed ashore at Ardmore, Co. 

 Wexford, but smaller than the example in 1852 (E. Sargent). 



The figure is from the Charmouth specimen in the National Collection. 



