202 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



lustre. Tlie or.-inge colour soinetimes forms a longi- 

 tudinal stripe, sc'ijarated h\ a -white streak from the 

 deeper colour of the back. The ventral side wliite, 

 sometimes with a dash of rose-colour. The dorsal, anal 

 and ventral tins orange, the caudal tin blackish gray 

 tinged ^\'ith blood-red. The pectoral fins externally 

 blackish bhic, with orange or bluish white rays, according 

 to Day, reddisli with blue margins. (Jn the inside of 

 these fins we sometimes find at the lower margin a large, 

 black spot, stre-wn with small spots of milk}' -white or light 

 blue. This colour on the inside of the pectoral fins is not 

 fast, however, and loaves stains when touclied (cf. Malm). 

 The Sapphirine Gurnard is a rare fish in Scandi- 

 navian watei's, thougli its geographical range is about 

 as \vide as that of the preceding species, solitary speci- 

 mens being met wiih as far north as Lofoden. As 

 Steindachner states that the Trigla capensis of Valen- 

 ciennes belongs to the same species, the range of the 

 Sapphirine Gurnard must extend south at least as far 

 as the Cape of Good Hope. Strangely enough, according 

 to Mal^i, it apparently occurs in the Skager Hack and 

 the Cattegat more frequently in some years than in 

 others. In 1860, for example, the Museum of Gothen- 

 l;)urg received eight specimens, and in 1869 four; with 

 these exceptions Mal:\i had not met with this species 

 on the coast of Bohusljln for thirty years. In 1886 Mr. 

 C. A. Hansson obtained a specimen, which had been 

 caught in Stromstad Fjord in the month of July, and 

 in 1887 another, wliich had l)een caught in the same 

 place in December. Tiiough it penetrates into the Sound 

 and has l)een taken in Kiel Bay (Mob., Hcke), this 

 happens very seldom, generally in autumn and winter. 



The Sappliirine Gurnard attains a larger size than 

 the preceding species. According to Moreau its length 

 may be as great as 600 mm. — a specimen taken in 

 Christiania Fjord, in November, 1869, was 620 mm. 

 long, according to ('ollett — and according to Thomp- 

 son (see Day, 1. c), it may weigh as much as 14 lbs. 

 Its manner of life is probably the same in the most 

 essential respects as tliat of the preceding species; and 

 the spawning-season proper also occurs probably in the 

 summer, though Couch found specimens with ripe roe 

 both at Christmas and from May to July. The greater 

 size of the pectoral fins in this species, however, reminds 

 us of its more pronounced habit of leaping out of the 

 water, which in some places, according to Nilsson, has 

 given it tlie name of "Flying-fish," and which, says 

 Lacepede", is connected, to a certain extent, Avitli the 

 name of lucerna {''lanteriie on fancd"). "It is chiefly the 

 parts of tlie head," he says, "especially the gajie and, 

 alcove all, the palate, which shine at night with a pleas- 

 ing and steady light, like that which radiates from so 

 many phosphorescent objects, living or dead, during 

 the lovely summer-nights of the South. After sunset, 

 on a calm evening, one raav see hundreds of Gurnards, 

 exposed to the same danger and impelled by a common 

 panic, leap out of their element to avoid a dangerous 

 foe, and spi-ing into the lower aerial regions, where 

 they supjiort themselves for some moments by flapping 

 their membranous wings, which are short, but wielded 

 by strong muscles. It is a strange sight — these soft 

 lights which suddenly rise above the waves, advance 

 and again fall into the depths, after tracing in the air 

 interlacino; lines of fire, now distinct and now united. 



It may, therefore, be regarded onlj^ as an occasional : Helped by the phosphorescent gleam of the -watei' fit 



visitor to the Cattegat, though Malm's and Esal\1!KS the surface, they thus form in the air an illumination 



observations which we have mentioned above, sho^v that which moves on and varies \vithout a pause." 

 it may }>ropagate its species even in the Skager Rack. 



Fam. AGONIDiE. 



Bofli/ cottiform hut elongated, and cuirasscd ir'dh coidifinons, hoin/ phdet^. arranf/ed in from S to 10 longitudinal 

 rairs. Spinnus-raijed part of the dorsal fins {which is sometimes wanting) nsuulhi shorter {Imt sometimes longer) 

 than thr soft-raged. Anal fn without spinous rays. Ventral fins with 1 spinous and 2 or 3 soft rags. Bags 

 of tlie pectoral fins, like those of the other fins, usnallg simjde. PseudohranchifC present. No air-bladder. Ver- 

 tebra; more than SO. 



As we have mentioned above, the forms within this 

 family, the Cuirassed (lurnards, are so closely related 



to the preceding ones that some writers regard both 

 the Flying Gurnards and the Malarmats as Cuirassed 



" Hist. Nai. Puiss., loiii. Ill, [). 363. 



