GEN. GASTROBRANCHUS. THE MYXINE. 343 



and privilege of fishing for lampreys in the river 

 Severn. Pridgavel : Prid, for brevity, being the 

 latter syllable of Lamprid, as this fish was anciently 

 called ; and gavel, a rent or tribute." 



Gen. CXXIV. Gastrobranchus. — Branchial 

 apertures two in number, and placed beneath, near 

 the commencement of the belly; mouth with a 

 single hook-like tooth ; tongue with two rows of 

 teeth on each side. 



(Sp. 252.) G. ccecus. Myxine, or Glutinous Hag. 

 This very singular fish has almost the appearance 

 of a worm, and indeed it was actually placed by 

 Linnaeus in his class Vermes. It is destitute of 

 eyes ; the mouth is surrounded v^th cirri, and the 

 dorsal fin is narrow and linear. Many parts of its 

 structure very strikingly indicate its relation to the 

 cephalopods of the class Mollusca. What corre- 

 sponds to the vertebral column is merely a carti- 

 laginous tube, the most rudimentary condition in 

 which that part could exist ; indeed it can with no 

 propriety be called a portion of a bony skeleton, 

 but merely its representative. With regard to its 

 habits ; it is said to enter the mouths of other fish 

 and completely devour the whole except the skiu 

 and bones. " It is considered by some that it ob- 

 tains access to the interior of the body of the fish 

 by passing in at the anal aperture ; others endea- 

 vour to account for its being in the belly of a vora- 

 cious fish by supposing it had been swallowed; 

 while many experienced fishermen still repeat their 

 belief that the Myxine enters the mouth of the cod- 



