30 PERCID.E. 



seen it direct its blows with as much judgment as a fighting- 

 cock. Montagu says, " Whether the supposed venomous 

 quality of the sharp spines is justly founded, is difficult to 

 determine ; but it appears to be a fact, that the wounds in- 

 flicted by these offensive weapons usually exhibit symptoms 

 of great inflammation and pain, and which has given rise to 

 the vulgar name of Sting-fish. It is caught sometimes in the 

 shore-nets, or seines, about Teignmouth and Torcross, rarely 

 exceeding five or six inches in length." A much larger por- 

 tion is taken by the shrimpers, who throw them away as 

 useless. This small species appears to have been much 

 less perfectly known than the Greater Weever : neither 

 Bloch nor Lacepede make any mention of it, and other 

 writers have included in their description of a single species 

 some of the peculiarities of both. Pennant, in the octavo 

 edition of his British Zoology, dated 1776, says this small 

 one " grows to the length of twelve inches ;"' and this state- 

 ment appears to have misled Dr. Turton, Mr. Donovan, and 

 Dr. Fleming, who have each assigned to it a length of ten or 

 twelve inches. From the examination of many specimens, it 

 is more probable that it very seldom exceeds five inches. 



D. 5or 6 24 : P. 15 : V. 1 + 5 : A. 1 24 : C. 11. 



Cheeks devoid of scales ; mouth placed more vertical ; teeth 

 stronger in proportion to its size, but less numerous ; and the 

 obliquity of the lines on the side less apparent are other 

 specific distinctions. The back is reddish grey ; lower part 

 of the sides and the belly silvery white ; membrane of the 

 first dorsal fin black ; caudal fin tipped with black, the other 

 fins pale brown. The Lesser Weever spawns in spring, the 

 Greater Weever spawns in summer : neither species possess 

 any swimming bladder. 



