GEN. BLENNIUS. YARItELLS BLENNY. 259 



Mr. Pennant seems to have been the first who de- 

 tected its existence on onr shores, though he, too, 

 mistook it for another species, the galerita of Ron- 

 delet, and described it under the name of the 

 Crested Blenny ; the figure in his third edition, by 

 Griffiths, is very characteristic. Among other things, 

 he reports that it is found, though not frequently, 

 on our rocky shores, and is usually about four or 

 five inches lon«;. On the head there is a small 

 crest-fin, which the animal can erect and depress at 

 pleasure ; and on the top of the head, between the 

 eyes, a triangular lump, pointing backwards, and 

 red about the edges. Dr. Fleming, under the same 

 name, seems also to have described this species, 

 from a specimen which he found in Loch Broom ; 

 and it appears to have been observed on the coast of 

 Norway. Mr. Yarrell obtained his first specimen 

 from Dr. Johnston of Berwick, and another from 

 Mr. Teale, which was taken at Redcar in York- 

 shire. The length of Dr. Johnston's specimen, as 

 minutely described by Mr. Yarrell, was three inches 

 and three-eighths ; the body much compresssd ; the 

 head oval, the profile round ; the lips capable of 

 extensive motion. At the superior anterior margin 

 of the eye there is a small fimbriated appendage, 

 which is connected with that of the opposite side 

 by a fold of skin; behind the two small appen- 

 dages are two ether tentacula, about twice the size 

 of the anterior pair, and also fimbriated. The gene- 

 ral colour of the body and fins is pale brown, mot- 

 tled on the sides with darker brown; the head and 



