THE ARMED BULL-HEAD. 469 



inches long in which the warts were tolerably well 

 developed. The usual length of this lish is about ten 

 inches, though now and then met with still larger. For- 

 merly it was looked on as pertaining solely to salt water, 

 but this, or a variety of it, is now found to inhabit the 

 Wettern, and probably also others of the Scandinavian 

 lakes. Its colours are much duller than in the C. Scorpius 

 and C. hiibalis, and tend to render it still more unpre- 

 possessing in appearance. As with both these species, the 

 sexes are readily distinguished by a different conformation 

 of the body, &c. The food of the C. quadricornis consists 

 chiefly of crustaceans, esj^ecially the large Idotea Entomon, 

 with which its stomach is oftentimes found filled ; as also 

 of molluscs and insects, but seldom small fish. It spawns 

 in November and December. For the table it is con- 

 sidered the best of all the fishes of this genus, and though 

 the flesh has a peculiar odour, not agreeable to every one, 

 it may be converted, we are told, into a most palatable 

 dish. The liver is more particularly prized. In Stock- 

 holm this fish is looked upon as a great dainty, and when 

 exposed for sale in the market is "always skinned and 

 decapitated." 



The Icelus furclger, Malm, of which a single specimen, 

 as it is supposed, has been captured in the Boh us Skargard, 

 is by M. Malm stated to be a new species of Iceliis, which 

 several authors have made a sub-genus of Cottus. 



The Armed Bull-head {Skiigg-Simpa, or, bearded simpa, 

 Sw. ; Aspidophonis cataphr actus, Linn.) was found in our 

 Skargard, and elsewhere on the western coast of both 

 Sweden and Norway. It inhabits besides the more 

 southern portions of the Baltic. Its usual length is from 

 six to seven inches, and it haunts sandy and grassy 

 bottoms. In appearance and manner of living it much 

 resembles the Cotli. This fish spawns in April and May, 

 which, Nilsson remarks, " is somewhat singular, as the 



