49 



TRACHTNUS. 



The head compressed; eyes high, and close together; angle of the 

 mouth depressed, the lower jaw closing a little over it; a long sharp 

 spine on the hinder part of the gill-cover. Two dorsal fins: the first 

 short, with firm sharp rays; second dorsal and anal long. Ventral fins 

 close to the throat, and thus arranged as jugular fishes by Linnaeus. 



GREATER WEEVER. 



STTNG-OULL. CATFISH. 



Draco minor araneus, Jonston; Tab. 21, f. 3. 



" sive araneus, {Weever,) Willougiiby; p. 288, Tab. S. 10. 



Trachinvs draco, Linn^us. Ouvier. 



" " Jenyns; Manual, p. 335. 



" " Yakrell ; Br. Fishes, vol. i, p. 24. 



" vive, Lacepede. Eisso; p. 108. 



" " Donovan ; pi. 107. 



" major, Fleming; British Animals, p. 214. 



" " GuNTHER; Cat. Br. M., vol. ii, p. 233. 



The several genera of fishes whicli are distinguished by 

 having their cheeks armed and defended with a crusty covering, 

 or their heads with strong projecting spines to which our 

 attention has been directed hitherto appear to be more for- 

 midable in appearance than in reality, the bristling arrangement 

 of their weapons being only adapted to defence against attack, 

 without the power of inflicting injury on such of their fellow 

 inhabitants of the deep as do not molest them. Very different 

 is the case with the fishes of the genus Trachinus, which, 

 without the same means of defence as the Gurnards, by being 

 furnished with a pair of piercing spines, and the skill to use 

 them as instruments of attack, have from an early date obtained 

 for themselves a formidable reputation under the names of 

 Spiders and Sea Dragons. 



Pliny uses both these names, but, as it appears, with the 



