SEA-CATfS. 



231 



Fam. a N a R R H 1 C II a D 1 d ^. 



External bones of the head smooth. No osseous connexion between the suborbital rin// and the preoperculum. 

 Jaw-teeth a)id palatine teeth of extraordinary strength, parthj obtuse molars {on the vomer and the palatine bones, 

 and in the lower jaw), partly eonical or curved canines {on the intermaxiUary bones, and in the front part — 

 sometimes in the back part as well — of the loiver jaw). One continuous dorsal fin along the whole of the liach 

 behind the occiput, containinf/ only simple rays. Anal fin also tony. Ventral fins wanting. I'scadobranchicB 



present. No air-bladder or jtyUiric appendages. 



The singular dentition oi' the mouth in these fishes 

 led Gilt/ to form a distinct f;imily for them, though 

 they are so like the Blennies in other respects that 

 their union ^vith the preceding family would be by no 

 means unnatural. Of the whole apparatus of the ventral 

 fins the Sea-cats retain only a pelvic bone on each side 

 of the body, attached to the inside of the anterior (in- 

 ferior) end of the clavicular bone; but a similar re- 

 duction of these fins is not uncommon in the preceding 

 family, where the pyloric appendages and air-bladder 

 may also be wanting. But the Sea-cats possess another 

 individual peculiarity in the structure of the dorsal fin, 

 in which the simple, undivided rays in the back part 

 (about 1(J or 12 in number) are hardened into true 

 spinous rays, while all the anterior rays are soft-tipped. 

 Another peculiarity of the Sea-cats is the shortness of 

 the intermaxillary bones, Avhich consist almost entirely 

 of the anterior part alone, tlie posterior (horizontal) 

 branch being both shorter and more slender than the 

 vertical (tlie nasal process), the point of which is united 



by a firm, cartilaginous connexion (synchondrosis) to 

 the anterior end of the ethmoid bone, whereas, in other 

 cases, this branch lies free in a groove on the top of 

 the ethmoid bone. Lastly, we find another deviation in 

 the Sea-cats from the general rule among the Anomalo- 

 pterous fishes, in the circumstance that the number 

 of l^ranched raj's in the caudal fin uKiy rise to at least 

 15, only from 11 to 13, however, being so long that 

 they can be regarded as caudal rays proper, while the 

 other (outer) ones are rather to be considered as branched 

 supporting rays. The system of the latertil line is 

 especially well-developed, though its pores are small 

 and often indistinct. There are two lateral lines proper 

 on each side of the body, one at the middle of the 

 side and the other along the base of the dorsal fin, at 

 a greater or less distance from it; but in tlie posterior 

 part of the body they can scarcely be detected. 



The family contains 6, perhaps 7, species, belong- 

 ing to northern and high northern latitudes, and dis- 

 tributed between two genera. 



GicNus ANARRHICHAS. 



Caudal fin distinctly separated both from the dorsal fin and the anal. 



A groundless tale that the Sea-cat was called klipp- 

 fisk (Rock-fish) by the fishermen of the Baltic, because 

 it crept up on the rocks, induced Gesner to give it 

 the name oi' Anarrhichas (climber), and Artedi' retained 

 this name for the genus, whicli is spread over the 

 northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific. For the 



elucidation of this genus according to the requirements 

 of modern science we have first to thank Professor 

 Jap. Steenstrup. Within the limits of the Scandina- 

 vian fauna three species occur, which may be distin- 

 guished as follows: 



"' Canarl. Natur., Geol., Aug. 1855, p. 247. 

 '• Irhth., Gen., p. 23. 



