90 WITH HARD CHEEKS. 



ACANTHOPTERYG1L WITH HARD CHEEKS. 



THE ROUGH-TAILED STICKLEBACK. 



BANSTICKLE, SHARPLIN. Scotland. 



Gasterosteits trachurus, Cuv. et VALENC. Hist. Nat. des Poiss. t. iv. p. 481, 



pi. 98, fig. 1. 



,, aculeatus, BLOCH, pt. ii. pi. 53, fig. 3. 



,, ,, DoN.Brit.Fish.pl.il. 



,, ,, Three-Spined Stickleback, JENYNS, Brit. Vert. p. 348. 



Generic Characters. Body without scales, more or less plated on the sides ; 

 one dorsal fin, with free spines before it ; ventral fin with one strong spine, and 

 no other rays ; bones of the pelvis forming a shield, pointed behind ; branchi- 

 ostegous rays 3. 



THE ROUGH-TAILED THREE-SPINED STICKLEBACK is 

 one of the smallest as well as one of the most common of 

 our fishes, and is found both in the salt and in the fresh 

 water : not only does almost every river, brook, and lake 

 produce this Avell-known species, but it is also common all 

 round the coast from the Land's End to the Orkneys. 



Cuvier and Valenciennes first noticed that three species of 

 Three-spined Sticklebacks had been constantly included 

 under the term G. aculeatus of Linnaeus ; and the distin- 

 guishing characteristics being very obvious, all three species 

 were shortly afterwards made known as inhabiting the waters 



