296 



GOBIAD.E. 



The last ray of tlie anal and second dorsal fin is longer than 

 the first, and reaches, when folded down, to the base of the 

 tail rays. These fishes arc supposed (erroneously) by the 

 fishermen to be the young of the Sting-fish, Trachinus vi- 

 pera, and are consequently destroyed whenever they come 

 within their reach. On transferring them to a bottle of alco- 

 hol they lose their transparent aspect, and become hard and 

 opaque. In the month of July, when I had occasion to re- 

 visit the Solway Firth, I endeavoured to obtain additional 

 specimens, presuming that by this time they would have 

 somewhat increased in size ; but not a single specimen could 

 be found, nor has the parent fish ever come within the obser- 

 vation of the fishermen. 



" The first dorsal fin of this fish, as possessing but five 

 rays, is sufficient to distinguish it from every other British 

 species of the same genus." 



The teeth in this species are also more formidable in pro- 

 portion to the size of the fish than those of any other British 

 Goby. 



