MExMOIR OF RONDELET. 41 



have sometimes seen such flocks of flying hirun- 

 dines, that they supposed them to be aquatic birds 

 rather than fishes." * 



The following is a portion of his account of that 

 singular looking fish the Lophius piscatorius, or 

 Angler. He names it Rana piscafriic, " By the 

 Neapolitans of the present day it is called the fish- 

 ing-frog, and by the Italians marino piscatoro or 

 rliavolo di mare. By the inhabitants of JMarseilles 

 it is named hrandroy^ on account of the very wide 

 gape of its mouth; by theBurdegalensians/'ecy^^ifm?<y 

 by the inhabitants of Montpellier gallaiiga ; and 

 lamia by the Sicilians, I know not for what reason, 

 unless it be on account of its wide gape or voracity. 

 It obtains the name of piscatrix from its custom of 

 fishing, and rayia from its resemblance to a tadpole 

 or young frog. This fish is cartilaginous, flat, of a 

 brownish or sooty colour, the head very large, round 

 and depressed. It is like the small fish named cotta 

 in the shape and colour of its body. The tail seems 

 to be fixed directly to the head, without any body, 

 so that nothing appears but a head and tail. The 

 head is beset with many acute spines. Its mouth is 

 not in the upper part of the head, but in front, and 

 it is large and wide, skilfully adapted by provident 

 Nature to the disposition and manners of the fish. 

 The upper jaw is shortest, the under long and pro- 

 minent, so that the mouth gapes widely ; the tongue 

 also, which is longer than the upper jaw, is broad 

 and large in proportion to the size of the jaw. There 

 * Page 284—286, 



