ICHTHYOLOGY. 



]93 



Acanthop- small as to be almost imperceptible, and often reduced to 



tervfrii. a single ray. The head is very small, and tlie body elon- 



Gobioidae. gated like the blade of a sword ; the back garnished 



^'^'V^ throughout its whole length with a uniform dorsal fin, all 



the rays of which are simple and without articulations. 



The teeth are as in the genus Cliiius, the stomach and 



intestines of a uniform character. 



One species, the common gunnel {B. gtmnellus), is very 

 abundant on the coasts of Britain, and in other northern 

 seas. It varies from six to ten inches in length, is of a 

 yellowish-brown colour on the body, with the belly white, 

 and the dorsal fin ornamented with a series of dark ocillat- 

 ed spots along the base. 



Genus Opistognathus, Cuv. Presents the form of 

 the blennies properly so called, but differs from them in 

 having the maxillaries very large, and prolonged posterior- 

 ly into a kind of long flat moustache. The teeth in each 

 jaw are rasp-like, the exterior range being strongest. The 

 ventrals are placed exactly under the pectorals, and con- 

 sist of three rays. Only one species seems to be known, 

 which was brought from the Indian Ocean by M. Sonne- 

 rat, after whom it was named by Baron Cuvier. 



Genus Zoarcus, Cuv. The species of this group are 

 destitute of a spiny ray ; they have an anal tubercle, the 

 intestines are without cseca, and there are six branchial 

 rays. The ventrals have three rays ; the teeth are conic, 

 and placed in a single row along the sides of the jaws, 

 but in several in front ; the palate is without teeth. 

 Their dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are united, although 

 the first named experiences a great depression. 



The viviparous blenny {B. viviparvs) is a well-known 

 species, and has been long celebrated for a peculiarity 

 which is chiefly observable among cartilaginous fishes, 

 that, namely, of producing its young alive. These are so 

 matured at the time of their birth, that on their first ex- 

 clusion they swim about with the utmost agilit)'. No 

 fewer than 200 or 300 young are sometimes produced by 

 an individual, and the abdomen of the mother is so dis- 

 tended before parturition, that it is impossible to touch 

 it without causing them to be extruded. Full-grown in- 

 dividuals seldom exceed twelve inches in length ; the 

 body is slender and smooth ; the colour yellowish olive, 

 pale beneath, and marked on the upper parts with dusky 

 spots. It is a littoral fish, and of frequent occurrence 

 under stones. When boiled, the back-bone acquires a 

 green colour. America produces a much larger species, 

 which sometimes exceeds the length of three feet. It 

 lias been described under the name of Blennius labrosus. 



Genus Anahrhichas, Linn. Bear so much affinity 

 to the blennies, that the species have been termed b)' 

 Cuvier Blennies without ventrals. The dorsal fin, en- 

 tirely composed of simple rays, but without stiffness, be- 

 gins at the nape, and extends, in common with the anal 

 one, nearly to the caudal fin, which is rounded like the 

 pectorals. The whole body is smooth and covered with 

 mucus. Their palatines, vomer, and mandibles, are arm- 

 ed with large osseous tubercles, which are crowned with 

 small enamelled teeth ; but the anterior teeth are longer 

 and conical. Such a conformation of the teeth makes 

 them very powerful instruments, and these fishes, from 

 their large size, are thereby rendered ferocious and dan- 

 gerous. They have six rays in the gills ; the stomach is 

 short and fleshy, with the pylorus near its base ; the in- 

 testine short, thick, and without caca ; and the swimming 

 bladder is wanting. 



The most common species is the A. lupus. Plate 

 CCCIV. fig. 2. It is of frequent occurrence in most of the 

 northern seas, and is well known along the coasts of Britain 

 by the names of sea-wolf and sea-cat. Its ordinary length is 

 from three to four feet, but examples sometimes occur near- 

 ly double that size. The colour is obscure livid brown, with 



VOL. XII. 



several transverse stripes or bands of a darker hue. The Acanthop- 

 dorsal fin, as already mentioned, extends along the whole terygii. 

 length of the back, and is composed of seventy-three t'ol'''"Jie. 

 rays. The fore teeth project considerably, and diverge a^^^'^^ 

 little from each other, forming a powerful kind of arma- 

 ture, moved by jaws of such strength that the animal has 

 been known to imprint the marks of its teeth on a bar of 

 iron. The uninviting aspect of this fish has probably not 

 been without influence in producing a prejudice against 

 it as an article of food. Its flesh, however, is far from 

 being unsavoury, and bears considerable resemblance to 

 that of the eel. It is in great request among the Ice- 

 landers, who eat it dry and salted ; while the other parts 

 of the fish are likewise converted to useful purposes, the 

 skin forming shagreen, and the gall being used as soap. 



The gobies ( Gobius, Linn.) are at once distinguished 

 from their associates by having their thoracic ventrals 

 united, either throughout their whole length, or only to- 

 wards the base, and forming a single hollow disk, more 

 or less tunnel-shaped. 



The spines of their dorsal fins are flexible ; the open- 

 ing of the gills, provided there are only five branchial 

 rays, is generally very small ; and, like the blennies, 

 they can live for some time out of the water. Their sto- 

 mach is without a cul-de-sac, and the intestinal canal has 

 no ca^ca : the males have an appendage, like the blen- 

 nies, behind the anus ; and some species are known to 

 produce their young alive. They are small or middle- 

 sized fishes, and usually frequent rocky places near the 

 margin of the waters which they inhabit. The greater 

 number are provided with a simple air-bladder. 



Genus Gobius, Cuv. Includes the gobies properly 

 so called. They have their ventrals united throughout 

 their whole length, and even anterior to their base, by a 

 traverse, so as to form a concave disk. Their body is 

 elongated ; the head of moderate size, and rounded , the 

 cheeks inflated ; and the eyes placed near each other. 

 The back bears two fins, the posterior one rather long. 

 Several species occur in European seas, the characters of 

 which have not been sufficiently examined. They fre- 

 quent waters having a clay bottom, and pass the winter 

 in excavations which they make for that purpose. In the 

 spring they prepare a kind of nest in places which abound 

 with Fuci, and cover it with the roots of the Zostera: the 

 male remains there waiting the arrival of the females, 

 which come in succession to deposit their eggs. These 

 he fecundates, and afterwards watches and defends coura- 

 geously. 



The black goby ( Gobius niger, Linn.) is not a scarce 

 species on the coasts of Britain. It is about five inches 

 long, of a dark-brown colour above, and white beneath, 

 variegated with darker spots and stripes. The tail is 

 rounded, and the superior rays of the pectorals are free at 

 the extremity. Several others are found in the Mediter- 

 ranean, such as G.jozzo, G. capita, and G. cruentatus. A few 

 are inhabitants of fresh waters, such as the small dark-co- 

 loured species described by Bonelli under the name of G. 

 Jiuviatilis. Among foreign kinds the most remarkable are 

 the Coitus 7nacrocephalus of Pallas, in which the head is 

 unusually large; and the G. lariceolatus of Bloch, distin- 

 guished by its elongated form, and pointed caudal fin. 



The genus named Gobioides by Lacepede differs 

 from the gobies only in having their dorsals united so as 

 to form a single fin, and in the body being more elongat- 

 ed. The Tenioides of the same distinguished Ichthyo- 

 logist have likewise a continuous dorsal line, and the 

 body is still more lengthened. These fishes present a 

 very peculiar aspect, in consequence of having their upper 

 jaw very short, and the lower one high and convex, rising 

 above it, both of them being armed with long crooked 

 teeth, while the eye is reduced to a mere point, and en- 



2 B 



