CLASS PISCES. 235 



the pylorus near its bottom, the intestine short, thick, 

 and without coeca, and they want the air-bladder. 



A. lupus, L., Bl. 74. (the sea-wolf,) is the most 

 common species ; it inhabits northern seas, and is 

 frequently seen on the coast of Europe ; six or seven 

 feet long ; brown with clouded bands of deep brown ; 

 the flesh resembling that of an eel. This fish is 

 valuable to the Icelanders, who salt and dry the flesh 

 for food, employ the skin as shagreen, and the gall as 

 soap \ 



Gobius, Lin. 



Commonly called Gobies, or Sea-gudgeons, are in- 

 stantly recognized by the union of their thoracic 

 ventrals, either along the whole of their length, or at 

 least at their base, forming a single hollow disk more 

 or less infundibuliform. The spines of the dorsal are 

 flexible, the branchial apertures provided with five 

 rays only, and generally but slightly open. Like the 

 blennies, they can live for some time out of the water, 

 their stomach has no cul-de-sac, and the intestinal 

 canal is not furnished with cceca ; finally, the males 

 have the same little appendage behind the anus, and 

 some species are known to be viviparous. They are 

 small, or moderately sized fishes, which live among 

 the rocks near the shore. Most of them have a simple 

 natatory bladder. 



1 The petrified teeth of this fish have been considered as consti- 

 tuting Bujoniles, but they have neither their form nor tissue. Add 

 the Anarrh. minor, Olafsen. Voy. in Isl. Fr. trans, pi. L. 



