1. aoBiTJs. 53 



Gobius niger (part, descr.), Yarrell, Bnt. Fishes, 2nd edit. i. p. 281, 3rd 

 edit. ii. p. .318. 



niger, Thomps, Ann. 8f Mag, Nat. Hist 1839, ii. p. 417. 



? Gobius sordidus, Benn. Proc. Zool. Soc. iii. 1835, p. 91. 



I^-Hcnyfcle- A-CTiJTSrn- L. lat. 54-55. 



Fifteen or sixteen longitudinal series of scales between the second 

 dorsal, and the anal fins. The height of the body is contained five 

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

 times and a half. The width of the interorbital space is less than 

 that of the orbit. Dorsal fins close together, rather lower than the 

 body ; the distance of the dorsal from the eye equals that of the 

 snout from the praeoperculum. The upper rays of the pectoral fin 

 very fine, silk-Uke ; the ventrals do not reach to the vent. Brownish, 

 indistinctly marbled with darker ; the fii^t dorsal fin greyish, with a 

 black longitudinal spot, and with a broad colourless upper margin ; 

 the other fins blackish, generally with indistinct dots. 



Mediterranean ; coasts of Great Britain. 



a-b. Adult and half-grown. Clonakilty, South Ireland. From 



the Museum Leach as Gobitis niger. 

 c. Half-grown. Frith of Forth. 

 d,e,f. Fine specimens. Falmouth. Purchased. 

 g, h. Fine specimens. Madeira. 

 i. Large specimen. Dalmatia. 



k. Adult : skin. Leghorn. From Mr. Yarrell's Collection. 

 l-p. Adult : skins. From Mr. Yarrell's Collection as Gobius niger. 

 q, r. Adult. 



104. Gobius melanostoma. 



Gobius melanostomus, Pall. Zoogr. iii. p. 151 ; Nonhn. in Dcmid. 

 Voy. Ems. Merid. iii. p. 411. pi. 7. 



D. 6 I 16. A. 14. L. lat. 50 -52. 



Sixteen longitudinal seiies oi scales between the second dorsal 

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

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

 a fourth. The interorbital space is naked, and its width is less than 

 the vertical diameter of the eye. Snout nearly twice as long as the 

 eye, with the jaws equal anteriorly ; teeth of the outer sei-ies en- 

 larged. Streaks of minute warts below the eye, none on the neck. 

 Dorsal fins close together, of nearly equal height, lower than the 

 body ; the distance of the first dorsal from the eye equals that of the 

 snout from the praeoperculum. None of the pectoral rays silk-like ; 

 basal half of the pectoral scaly ; the ventrals do not reach to the 

 vent, and have the basal membrane very developed. Light brown, 

 clouded with darker ; the first dorsal with a deep-black spot pos- 

 teriorly ; the outer half of the vertical fins brown. 



Black Sea. 



A specimen from Varna is in the Collection of the Poppclsdorf 

 Museum (Bonn). 



