1. GOBIUS. 11 



7. Gobius niger. 



The Black Goby. The Rock-fish. 



Gobio niger, Rondel. 17. cap. 17. p. 200; Gesner, p. 385. 



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



p. 36. 

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

 Gobius niger, L. Si/st. Nat. i. p. 449; Retz. Faun. Siiec. p. 326; Mull. 



Proflr. Zoof. Dan. p. 44 ; Nihs. Prodr. ZooL Suec. p. 93, and Skand. 



Faun. iv. p. 210; Turton, Brit. Faun. p. 94; Low, Faun. Oread. 



p. 205 ; Jeni/ns, Man. p. 385 ; Ekstr. Fische Morko, p. 255, and Skand. 



Fisk. p. 157. tab. 36 ; Yarrell, Brit. Fishes, i. p. 251, 2nd edit. i. 



p. 281, 3rd edit. ii. p. 318 (part, descript.) ; Cuv. 4" V(d. xii. p. 9; 



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



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



^ozo, PI. tab. 107. f. 3. 



? Gobius bicolor, (Briinn. Ichth. Massil. p. 30) ; L. Gm. p. 1197 ; Bl. 



Schn. p. 73 (not Cuv. Sf Fa/.). 

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

 Gobius britannicns, TJtomps. Ann. <^- Mag. Nat. Hist. 1839, ii. p. 416, 



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



D. 6 1 -^. A. ^^. L. lat. 39-40. Vert. 12/16. 



Eleven or twelve longitudinal series of scales between the second 

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

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

 Jlorsal fins close together, abotit 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 

 very fine, silk-hke ; the pectoral extends to the vertical from the anal 

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

 less distinctly marbled ^dth darker : dorsal and caudal fins with in- 

 conspicuous blackish streaks ; anal uniform ; pectoral with a dark 

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



German Ocean ; Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Europe. 



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



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



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



k-hi. 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, E-isso. 



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

 gical Society. 



8. Gobius auratus. 



Gobius auratus, Risso, Ichth. Nice, p. 160, and Fur. Mirid. iii. p. 283 ; 



Cuv. ^ Val. xii. p. 31. 

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



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

 fimcs the diameter of the eye. Check with seven or eight series of 



