2 THE FISHES OF BANFFSHIRE. 



mad ; and no one who saw him at the time, ever dreamed but that he would 

 have lost his arm. However, by next morning, the pain had ceased, but not 

 so the swelling ; it lasted nearly ten days. The individual is still alive ; 

 and maintains, to the pi'esent day, that he never felt such a painful sen- 

 sation in all his life, as he then did. This species is of rare occurrence 

 Avith us. 



The Little Weever. {T. viper a.) Specimens of the Little Weever are not 

 unfrequently met with ; which would seem to indicate that they are more 

 numerous in the Frith than the preceding. 



The Red Surmullet, {Mullus barbatus,) and the Striped Red Mullet, (M. 

 surmuletiis,) have both been obtained, the latter being the most frequent. 

 They are known here by the term ' Mullets.' 



The Red Gurnard, {TrUjla cuculus,) is prettj"^ frequent ; as also is 



The Sapphirine Gurnard. [T. hirundo.) Some splendid specimens of this 

 latter fish are annually brought on shore by our fishermen, towards the end 

 of autumn. 



The Gray Gurnard. {T. gurnardus.) This is our commonest Gurnard; 

 and, judging from the numbers taken, must be very numerous. They are 

 known here by the term of ' Crunack.' They are not much esteemed as an 

 article of food, even among the peasants ; and are, in consequence, seldom 

 broixght to the market. 



The Little Gurnard. {T. jxxciloptera.) Somewhat rare. I remember once 

 taking one from the stomach of a Great Northei'n Diver, which was shot 

 between Findochite and Speymouth, in the spring of 1840, and which was 

 sent me for the i:>urpose of being preserved. The remains of another were 

 brought me, not long since, by one of my own girls. It was found in our 

 harbour. 



The Short-spined Cottus. (Cottns scotyius.) Pretty frequent. 



The Long-spined Cottus. (C. bubalis.) Rather plentiful. I find them in 

 abundance, in pools left by the tide, or beneath stones at low water. Many 

 of them exhibit some most beautiful markings. 



The Four-horned Cottus. (C. quadricornis.) I have never found this 

 species but in the stomachs of other fish ; which leads me to conclude, that 

 they generally inhabit pretty deep water ; or, at least, that they do not come 

 so near to the shore as the preceding sj^ecies. 



The Armed Bullhead. (Asjndophorus JEuropaus.) This is another stomach 

 sjjecies. But I have found these, also, though veiy sparingly, amongst the 

 rocks at low tide. 



The Rough-tailed, Thi'ee-spined Stickleback, {Gasterosteiis tracliurus,) and 

 the Smooth-tailed Stickleback, {O. leiiirus,) are both plentiful. The former 

 along the coast, and the latter in our streams and rivulets. 



The Fifteen-spined Stickleback. {Spinachia vulgaris.) Common among the 

 pools along the shore. I have seen this species with sixteen and seventeen 



