GEN. GOBIUS. THE BLACK GOBY. 271 



They have two dorsal fins, the posterior of which 

 is long. Till within these few years, two only were 

 catalogued as British ; but Mr. Jcnyns* work con- 

 tains four, and Dr. Parnell has since added two 

 more to the list. These small fish are apparently 

 of little value further than as supplying food to 

 other fishes. 



(Sp. 72.) G. niger. (PI. XX.) The Black Goby, 

 also Rock Gohy^ or Rock-fish^ is by much the largest 

 of the British species, attaining the length of five or 

 six inches. By this character it is r'^adily distin- 

 guished from the other species, as also by having 

 the two dorsal fins contiguous, whereas all the 

 others have them more or less remote. With re- 

 spect to the union of the ventral fins, it would seem 

 to be, as remarked by Colonel Montague, for the 

 purpose of forming an instrument of adhesion, 

 although in no instance did this Naturalist ever 

 observe that these fishes so adhered, either to rocks 

 or to the glass vessels in which he had kept them 

 alive for several days. The colour of the whole fish 

 is dusky brown, darker on the back, and more or 

 less mixed with spots and streaks. This fish is to 

 be distinguished from the Gobius niger of Donovan 

 and Fleming, which belongs to the next species. It 

 appears to be chiefly an inhabitant of the rocky 

 parts of the coast, from which circumstance two of 

 its trivial names are derived. Hence, too, it is not 

 frequently taken in the net. Mr. Couch has ob- 

 served, that, like the Shanny, it is in the habit 

 of carrying ofi* its prey in its mouth to a resting- 



