134 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



structure. Their spinous ray is consideral)ly stunted 

 in ofrowth, and is firnilv united to the base of the first 

 soft ra)'. The hitter, on the other hand, is all the 

 longer, is closely and distinctly articulated, but simjjle 

 (undivided), and on the outside has a dermal fold, 

 ^\■hich is bi'oader at the middle and generally marked 

 with transverse stripes, and which gives this ray an 

 acinaciform shape. The second soft ray is so deeply 

 branched, that it appears to be formed of two rays: 

 inside of this ray we sometimes find in some species, 

 at its base, a small cartilaginous disk, which is perhaps 

 to l)e regarded as a remnant of those parts of these 

 tins which have disappeared with this exception. 



The singular appearance of the Bati-achoids is fur- 

 ther enhanced by the filaments which fringe the cheeks 

 and the margins of the jaws (lips), and often occur 

 even on the ujjper margin of the orbit. 



The suborbital ring is very little developed; it is 

 generally without any osseous structure wluitever". 



In order to comprehend the relation of these fishes 

 to the other Anomalopteri, especially to the Gohio- 

 moyplii it is of interest to remember the observation 

 made b}' Stoker, that the fry are furnished with a 

 ventral disk, which disappears with age, and with 

 which they attach themselves to stones and rocks. 



The family contains only few species'', most of 

 them belonging to the tropic seas. 



Genus BATRACHUS. 



Three spinoii.^ 



rdi/.-! Ill the first (hrsal _fiii. Suboperculum and operculum furnished with spines. Head naked; 

 the trunk ivith or icithout scales. Caudal Jin u-ith about 12 hranclied rai/s. 



Obs. Jordan and Gilbi 

 genus, in which, according 1 

 should not be included. They 

 which are completely destitute 

 be followed in the definition 

 cannot demand many genera w 

 the European species must, in 

 Batrachus, for this species, 



iRT'' suggest another definition of this 



their opinion, the European species 



refer to this genus only those species 



of scales. Whatever principles are to 



of the genera — convenience alone 



ithin a family witli so few species — 

 any case, be retained within the genus 



as even Joepan and Gilbert mention. 



was the generic type employed by Block-Schneider (1. c), who in- 

 troduced the genus into the system. 



If we retain Gunthek's division of this family into 

 genera, most of the species belonging to it must be 

 referred to this genus, \vhich consists of voracious 

 shore-fishes, belonging to the tropic and temperate seas, 

 and living on small fishes, crustaceans and mollusks. 



THE EUROPEAN TOAD-FISH. 

 BATRACHUS DIDACTYLUS. 



(Plate X, fig. ]). 



Trunk covered ivith scales. The axillary sac opens into the upper corner of the axil. Three opercular spines, 



the ttvo uppermost belonfjinff to the operculum proper, the longer one to the suboperculum. Jaiv-teeth and palatine 



teeth pointed. No filaments above the eye- Second dorsal fin ivith 20 {21) rays; anal ivith 16 {17). 



E. br. G: D. 3/20 1. 21''; A. 10 1. 17; P. 22— 25^ F. 1/2! 



a.-^ ,p-f 12 + .V. 



Sun. Gadus Tau, Bloch, Naturg. Fish. Deutschl., II, p. 170, tab. 

 LXVII, fig. 2 et 3; Bl., Schn. (Batrachns),Si/st.Ichth>/oI.,i,.4:i. 



Batrachus didactylus, Bl., Schn., 1. c, p. 42; Gthr, Cat. 

 Brit. Mus., Fish., Ill, p. 170; Stkind., Stzber. Akad. Wiss. 

 Wien, Math. Naturw. CI., LVII (1868), I, p. 419, tab. V; 

 Malm, Gbys, Boh. Fn., p. 466; Winth., Naturh. Tidskr. 

 Kbhvn, ser. 3, vol. XII, p. 21; Hansen, Zool. Dan., Fiske, 



" A preorbital bono, however, is sometiiiios present, e. g. in Bntraclms Pacifici. 



' 12 species, distributed among the three genera mentioned above, are adopted in Gunther's Catalof/ue. 



' S;/n. Fish. A'. Amei:, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., No. 16, p. 750. 



'' Sometimes 22, according to Steindachneu. 



' According to Steindachnkr: in Nilsson's specimen we have found P. l-f-20-1-1. 



/ (J. 13 according to NiLSSON. The caudal fin of the specimen is damaged. BLOcn found only 12. Agassiz found only 10 branched 

 ra_ys in tlie caudal tin. In a specimen from Cadiz, the original of our figure, and obtained for ns by Prof. Steindachner, we find C. 2-fl2 

 -|- 1 . Ill anotluT specimen from Cadiz, presented to the Royal Museum by Professor Giglioli of Florence, ('. l-|-12-t-2. 



