272 



SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 



i>\' Uniiiosropiis. Oiw of the Scaudinnviaii species -was 

 ;ilso origiruilly" called UraHOScopits by LiNNiEUS, though 

 lie ;ift('rw;ir(ls eh;iiiged tlie ii;ime to Traclitnm''. The 

 oldest generic uaine, DracuncttJus, derived from Pliny, 

 ;md intended to indicate the likeness to TrucJiinus 

 {Draco), was applied by Rondelet' to a Mediterranean 

 species of the genus, Mdiich Avas referred by AuTEur to 

 the genus Coffus''. The Swedish name "SJokoek" (Sea- 

 cook), according to Fries'', really signifies Sea-cock; 

 and "7<'%//?'.s7i ' (Flying-fish), another Swedish name for 

 this genus, is an unconscious reminiscence of Exococtus, 

 the name a]iplied to the genus by Gesner and 1)EL()n''. 

 All the species of this genus are salt-water fishes 

 Avhich live alone nv in pairs, always keep close to the 

 l)Ottom at a moderate or great depth, do not wander 

 far, and ai-e apparently monoganious. The males, in 

 particulai', are adorned with the most beautiful and 

 \arious colours. The external distinction of sex, which 

 in other fishes in general is only slightly marked, is 

 shown in this genus by a considerable difference of 

 form as well as colour. In the former respect the rule 

 holds good in this case also, that in the males the first 

 dorsal fin is higher, the first ray being considerably 

 elongated; while in this gemis the last rays of the se- 

 cond dorsal fin are also elongated, being, as a rule, at 



least longer than tlie anterior rays of this fin. The 

 distinction of colour is expressed by the gayer and more 

 brilliant attire of the males. This difference between 

 the sexes led the ichthj'ologists of a period when little 

 attention had yet been given to this point, to dc'scrilie 

 as distinct species forms Avhich \\ere reallv different 

 sexes of the same species. The changes of growth, 

 howevei', are also considerable; and as tiie young males 

 are externally very like the females, thei'c was a double 

 cause for tiiis confusion in tiie nomenchiture. It is 

 Neill whom we have to thank for the first t'lear elu- 

 cidation'' of the sexual characters. The changes of 

 growth in the most common Scandinavian Dragonet 

 Avere first described b^- Fries''. 



The two species which belong to the Scandinavian 

 fauna, ina-v be distinguished as follows: 



A : Base of tlie :imil I'm less than -/.j 



of tlic distance from its beginning 



to the tip of the snout. Second 



dorsal fin marked with several pa- 

 rallel, eoknired, longitudinal bands Callkmiiiiins h/ra. 

 B: Base of the anal fin more than -/.j 



of the distance from its beginning 



to the tip of the snout. Second 



dorsal (in marked with ocellated, 



round spots, set in several rows,.. Calliiuii/inus nuiculatnt!. 



The most common Scandinavian species is 



" Muf. Ad. Frid., t<iiii. I, \i. 71: Uraiwscopiis picttis (S\v. Blastdl). 

 '■ Fit. 6'iiec., ed. 1, p. lOG. 

 <■ Fisc. Mar., lib. X, caii. XII. 

 '' Gen. Pise, p. 49; «^'///(., ji. 77. 

 « Skand. Fisk., ed. 1, p. 04. 



■' MClleu, however, supposes (Zool. Dan. I, No. 3G, p. 'Jl) tliat the D.ino-Norwegiaii naiiie Flojfisk, whieli has given rise to I'uXT- 

 )I'PII).\n's description of the flight of the Dragonet, is derived, not from fli/ve (to lly). but from //oy (vane, pendant). 

 'J Mem. Wern. Nat. Hist. Soc., vol. I (1808 1810), p. 529. 

 '' Vet.-Akad. Handl. 1837, n. 39. 



