1. GOBIUS. 11 



7. Gobius niger. 



The Black Goby. The Eock-fish. 



Gobio niger, Rondel. 17. c.ap. 17. p. 200 ; Gesner, p. 885. • 



? Gobius niger, Willughb. p. 206. tab. N. 12. f. 1 ; Ray, p. 76 ; Schotiev. 



p. 36. 

 Gobius, no. 1, Artedi, Genera, p. 28. 

 Gobius niger, L. St/st. Nat. i. p. 449 ; Retz. Faun. Suec. p. 326 ; Blidl. 



Prodr. Zool. Dan. p. 44 ; Nilss. Prodr. Zool. Suec. p. 93, and Skand. 



Faun. iv. p. 219; Turion, Brit. Faun. p. 94; Lmc, Faun. Oread. 



p. 205 ; Jeni/ns, Man. p. 385 ; Ekstr. FiscJie 3Idrko, p. 255, and Skand. 



Fisk. p. lo7. tab. 36 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fishes, i. p. 251, 2nd edit. i. 



p. 281, 3rd edit. ii. p. 318 (part, descript.) ; Ctiv. ^- Val. xii. p. 9 ; 



Parn. Fishes Frith of Forth, p. 81. pi. 29; Fries in Wiegin. Arch. 



1840, p. 237 ; (not thomps.). 



gozo, Bl. tab. 107. f. 3. 



? Gobius bicolor, {Brilnn. Ichth. Massil. p. 30) ; L. Gm. p. 1197 ; Bl. 



Schn. p. 73 (not Cuv. ^ Val.). 

 Black Goby, Penn. Brit. Zool. iii. p. 186. pi. 38. 

 Gobius britanuicus, TJiomps. Ann. S^- Mag. Nat. Hist. 1839, ii. p. 416, 



and Proc. Zool. Soc. 1837, p. 61. 



D. 6j-j^. ^.~2- ^- ^a^- 3^-^0. Yert. 12/16. 



Eleven or twelve longitudinal series of scales between the second 

 dorsal and anal fins. The height of the body is contaiaed six times 

 in the total length, the length of the head four times and a half. 

 Dorsal fins close together, about as high as the body ; the distance 

 of the dorsal from the eye equals that of the snout from the prae- 

 operculum. A few of the upper rays of the pectoral fin sometimes 

 veiy iine, silk-like ; the pectoral extends to the vertical from the anal 

 papilla ; the ventral fins reach to the vent. Brownish-olive, more or 

 less distinctly marbled with darker : dorsal and caudal fins with ia- 

 conspicuous blackish streaks ; anal imiform ; pectoral with a dark 

 spot on the upper part of its base ; ventral greyish. 



German Ocean ; Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Europe. 



a, b. Adult. South Devonshire. Museum Leach. 



c-7i. Fine specimens. Baltic. Presented by Max, Prince of Neuwied. 



i. Half-grown. Sicily. Presented by W. Swainson, Esq. 



l--ni. Half- grown : skins. From Mr. Yarrell 's Collection. 



Variety: orange-yellow, finely marbled with reddish; fins black on 

 the marginal half: perhaps identical with Gobius auratus, Risso. 



n. Fine specimen. British coast. From the Collection of the Zoolo- 

 gical Society. 



8. Gobius auratus. 



Gobius am'atus, Risso, Ichth. Nice, p. 160, and Etir. Merid. iii. p. 283 ; 



Cuv. S)- Val. xii. p. 31. 

 Eleotris auratus, Cuv. Regne Anim. ii. p. 247. 



The length of the head is one-fourth of the total length, or four 

 times the diameter of the eye. Cheek with seven or eight sexies of 



