3. BLENNICS. 213 



notch between the spinous and soft portions, the latter being con- 

 tinuous with the caudal. Light brown, with more or less regular 

 darker cross-bars, or irregularly spotted with dark brown, sometimes 

 uniform brown or blackish-brown ; a blackish spot between the third 

 and fourth dorsal spines. 



Mediterranean. Atlantic coasts of Europe. 



a-c. Adult : stuffed. Frith of Forth. 



d. Nine inches and a half long : stuffed. Coast of Cornwall. 



e. Adult ; skin. Torquay. From Mr. YarreU's Collection. 

 /. Adult : skin. Brixham. From Mr. Yarrell's Collection. 



g. Half-grown. South Devonshire. From the Leach Museum. 

 h. Fine specimen. Coast of Ireland. Presented by the Earl of 



Enniskillen. 

 i. Adult. Dalmatia. 

 Jc. Adult. Mediterranean. 

 I. Half-grown : bad state. 

 m. Half-grown. From the Haslar Collection. 

 n-q. Half-grown : skins and stuffed. 

 r. Adult female : skeleton. From the Haslar Collection. 

 s. Adult female : skeleton. Purchased. 



Skeleton. — The bones are well ossified and very soKd ; the tympanic 

 groove is nearly entirely osseous. The skull is elevated ; the crown 

 of the head compressed into a short ridge bifurcating posteriorly, 

 so that its upper surface is formed by three planes, one posterior 

 and two lateral. The intermaxillaries and the mandibles are very 

 strong and broad, to afford a solid base for the teeth, which are rather 

 strong. The infraorbital ring i-? firm ; no sutures can be distinguished 

 between the single bones. Suprascapiila distinct ; humerus with a 

 transverse ridge terminating in a short prominence in its lower por- 

 tion. Coracoid long, well developed. I am unable to distinguish 

 either the radius or the ulna ; they appear to be united with the 

 humerus, without leaving sutures between them. Carpal bones four, 

 the lower of which is the longest and broadest. 



There are twelve abdominal and twenty-seven caudal veriebvce, the 

 length of the former portion being to that of the latter as 1 : 1*7; 

 the vertebrae are compressed, as high as long ; neural and haemal 

 spines of moderate length and strength ; one intemeural and one 

 interhaemal correspond to one neural and haemal ; ribs feeble, long, 

 with slender epipleurals. 



2. Blennius comntus. 



Blennius, sp., Gronov. Zoophyl. n. 264. 



comutus, L. Amoen. Acad. i. p. 316, and Mus. Ad. Fried, p. 61 ; 



Bl. Schn. p. 169 ; Gronov. Syst. ed. Gray, p. 95. 

 grandicomis, Cuv. Sf Val. xi. p. 258. 



D, ;|. A. 23. 



The height of the body equale the length of the head, and is con- 

 tained four times and two-thirds in the total. Snout obtuse, with 



