84 WITH HARD CHEEKS. 



ber and size of these warty excrescences, and believed that 

 the young had for a time but two of these tubercles, and 

 were only provided with four when they had attained the 

 length of seven or eight inches. 



The Four-horned Cottus swims rapidly, but is generally 

 observed lying in ambush, near stones or among sea-weed, 

 ready to seize its food, and is known, by examination of the 

 contents of the stomach, to feed more frequently on the 

 young of the two species of Goby, that are there common, 

 than upon any other small species. But little use is made of 

 this fish, except as a bait for others. They spawn in winter, 

 and the ova are white. 



D. 8 14 : P. 17 : V. 1 + 3 : A. 15 : C. 11. 



The head is large and flat ; mouth wide, jaws equal, teeth as 

 described in the generic characters ; irides yellow, pupil 

 black ; preoperculum with three spines, operculum with only 

 one ; four horn-like tubercles on the top of the head, two of 

 which are near the eyes, and two on the nape ; body elon- 

 gated, compressed ; colour of the head brown, tinged with red 

 on the gill-covers ; back brown, the sides yellow, the belly 

 greyish white ; the lateral line nearly straight, and marked 

 with rough points ; the body also freckled with scabrous 

 points ; the fins prettily mottled with brown. 



Two specimens of the Four-horned Cottus were the only 

 fish taken in the sea with a net at Melville Island. Parry's 

 First Voyage. During the third voyage this species was 

 found at Whale-fish Islands in considerable numbers. Cap- 

 tain James Ross says it is abundant on the west coast of 

 Greenland. Two or three specimens were taken in a net in 

 Felix Harbour, and several were captured by the natives on 

 the west side of the peninsula of Boothia. 



