114. BLENNIIDiE MURiENOIDES. 767 



sijiootli; 110 lateral line. Dorsal fin long and low, beginning near the 

 head, composed entirely of stiff, sharp, subequal spines; anal similar 

 in form, of two spines and many soft rays; caudal fin short and small, 

 sometimes joined to dorsal and anal; pectorals short; ventrals very 

 small, of one spine and a rudimentary ray (obsolete or wanting in 

 some imperfectly-known species provisionally referred to this genus); 

 intestinal canal short, without coeca. Shore fishes of the Northern 

 fishes of the Northern seas. {jiuf>ai>aj an eel; el3aq^ form.) 



b, Ventrals present, I, 1. (MtD-ccnoides.) 



1168. M. g-unuellias (L.) Gill.— Butter-fish. 



Olive brown ; sides with numerous obscure darker bars ; base of 



dorsal with ocellated dark spots; a dark bar below eye. Head short 



and compressed, scaleless; mouth oblique; maxillary reaching front of 



pupil; caudal fin distinct; pectorals little more than half length of 



head; ventrals of a spine and a rudimentary ray. Head about 8; 



depth 9. D. LXXVIII ; A. II, 38 ; V. I, 1 ; vert. 85. L. 12 inches. 



North Atlantic; abundant both in America and Europe. 



(Blrnniiis {jKnueUus L. Syst. Nat. i, 443: Centronotus gunellus Giintlier, iii, 2H5: 02)hi- 

 diitm mttcronatiim Mitch. Trans. Lit. & Phil. Soc. i, 361, 1815: Gunnellus mucrocephahis 

 Giiard, LJost. Jouru. Nat. Hist, vi, 263, 1850: Guncllua iiujens Storer, Bost. Joiirn. Nat. 

 Hist, vi, 261, 1850; perhaps an abuoi'mal specimen rather than a different genus.) 



1169. M. fasciatus (Bloch & Schu.) Gill. 



Grayish or brownish, marbled with darker, anteriorly with several 

 irregular cross-bands, which reach the abdomen ; back with a series of 

 10 or 12 subtiiangular i)ale spots along the base of dorsal, each spot 

 including some brown specks; a brown-edged i)ale vertical band be- 

 hind eye; a brownish band from below the eye to the throat. Mouth 

 very oblique, the snout short; interorbital width less than diameter of 

 eye; pectoral scarcely half as long as head; ventrals very small; ver- 

 tical fins not joined. Head 9.J; depth 9. D. LXXXVIII; A. II, 42; 

 V. I, 1. Greenland to Alaska. {Gunther.) 



(Centronotus famaiun Bloch & Schneider, 165, 1801: Gunnellus fasdatus and groen- 



landicus Cuv. & Val. xl, 441, 442: Centronotus fasciatus Giinther, iii, 287: 'i Centronotus 



gunelliformis Giinther, iii, 288.) 



\ 



1170. M. oriiatus (Grd.) Gill. 



Usually greenish above, yellow or orange below, but varying to 

 brown and cherry-red; traces of about 20 darker bars along sides; a 



