198 



tSCANDIX AVIAN FISIIKS. 



of Riigeii. It is also known from the extreme north 

 of Norway and fi-om Iceland to Spain and Portugal, 

 and also in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea. 



The surface of the bones of the head is adorned 

 with numbers of tuberculated lines, which radiate from 

 certain points. The nostrils are situated in a slit, 

 covered -with skin, between the preorbital and nasal 

 l)ones; the anterior is small and round, \\ith a some- 

 what raised margin, the posterior larger, obliijuely set 

 and elongated. In the front \rdrt of the anterior margin 

 of tlie eye are two or three sharp spines, and, in young 

 specimens, a spine of equal size and also pointing in 

 .1 backward direction, in the postei'ior part of this 

 margin. Behind the eye, in young specimens in par- 

 ticular, a sharply defined, spinous ridge runs along 

 the temple at the side of tlie occiput, and ends in a 

 thick, sharp spine, belonging to the posttemiioral bone. 

 Similar, but smaller spines, also appear in the lower [ 

 part of tlie hind margin of the preoperculum. In 

 young specimens there are also distinct occi]:)ital spines, 

 corresponding to those which are so characteristic of 

 the ])receding genus. The operculum is tipped with 

 two sharp spines, the lower being the longei'. Tiie 

 clavicular bone, too, is armed with a strong spine just 

 above the pectoral .tin. Tlie ventral tins are inserted 

 below or a little behind the pectoral, and in adult spe- 

 cimens are somewhat longer than the latter: in voung 

 specimens the reverse is sometimes the case. Of the 

 three free rays of the pectoral tins the tliird is the 

 longest and the first the shortest. When pressed chjse 

 to the body, they are straight, but they form a geni- 

 culate curve, with the points turned backwards, when 

 they are extended forward in a downward direction. 

 In the first dorsal fin, which is of about the same height 

 as the body and twice as high as the second, the third 

 ray is usually the thickest and but slightly shorter 

 ihan the second; l)ut ihe rest diminish in length so 

 shai'ply that the tin slopes suddenly in its posterior 

 l)art. According to LiLL.iKBoia; the length of the long- 

 est rays in this fin, in adult specimens, is greater in 

 ihr. female than in the male, being about equal, in the 

 lormer, to ihe distance from the tip of the snout to 



the hind margin of the orl)it, and in the latter less 

 than this distance". The total niunber of rays in both 

 dorsal fins varies between '27 and 29. The vent is 

 somewhat, tliougii sometimes on!\- very sliglitly, in front 

 of the middle of tlie l3od^•. The stomach is large and 

 triangular, with thin walls. Tlie intestinal canal forms 

 two curves and is furnished with 7 pvloric appendages. 

 The liver is small, and consists of two lobes: in Aoung 

 specimens it is relativeU- larger and more completely 

 divided. The air-l)ladder is large, simple posteriorly 

 and divided anteriorlv into two, short, terete loljes. 



In this fish, too, the coloration is very variable. 

 Most often tlie upper part of the bodv is grayish 

 yellow, strewn with bright, wiiite dots, which below 

 the lateral line sometimes unite into vermiform streaks, 

 and the bellv and latei'al line white. In other speci- 

 mens the white dots are surrounded bv a small, black 

 ring, which gives them the appearance of small ocelli. 

 ill others, again, there is no trace of these spots. 

 Specimens also occur of a more or less dark, reddish 

 brown colour, instead of the grayish yellow, and with 

 the lateral line and the ventral sides strongly tinged 

 with yellow. It is this colour-varietv whii'h we have 

 represented in our figure, and which, if we are not 

 mistaken, is rather a character of young sijeciinens. 

 The caudal, pectoral and dorsal fins adopt tlie colour 

 of the body; the anterior of the latter pair is always 

 the darker, and has ;i more oi' less distinct, blackish 

 spot at the margin, l)etweeii the third and fifth rays. 



The Grey Gurnard attains a length of from .3.'>0 

 to 400 mm.'' It is specimens of this size that are 

 generallv taken in Bohusliin. It lives at the same spots 

 and in water of the same depth as the Haddock and 

 Whiting, and is taken on the hook together ^vitll 

 these fishes. According to Kiiovici; it is also occasion- 

 allv taken by fishermen whiffing for Mackerel, even 

 when the wind is so strong and the speed of the bout 

 so great that the Mackerel does not bite readih'. Ac- 

 cording to Cortii it is a gregarious fish, and sometimes 

 (during the spawning-season?), in fine summer- weather, 

 collects in large shoals at the surface and slowly rises 

 and sinks in the water, crooning, as if with pleasure. 



" Even if lliis nexnal diflerence be restricted In specinieus over 2(50 iiiiii. in lenylli. tlieri' are many exceptions. Among the numerous 

 uieasurements on wliidi tlie appended table is based, v.e have found Uiat a male of Triijla i/uriidi'diis had o\>e of tlie longest rays in the 

 first dorsal fin and, at the same time, the shortest snout. Tn.l.lEl! (1. c.) has also failed to discover any constanl external differences be- 

 tween the sexes in this species. 



'' Acrordin.n- to Pennant (see Day) it may atlain a length of 2' .^ ft. (7112 mm.). 



