464 FISHES. 



The " Wee vers " are common fislies on the European 

 coasts, and but too well known to all fishermen ; singularly 

 enough they do not extend across the Atlantic to the 

 American coast, but reappear on the coast of Chili ! Wounds 

 by their dorsal and opercular spines are much dreaded, being 

 extremely painful, and sometimes causing violent inflamma- 

 tion of the wounded part, No special poison-organ has been 

 found in these fishes, but there is no doubt that the mucous 

 secretion in the vicinity of the spines has poisonous properties. 

 The dorsal spines as well as the opercular spine have a deep 

 double groove in wliich the poisonous fluid is lodged, and by 

 which it is inoculated in the punctured wound. On the 

 British coasts two species occur, T. draco, the Greater Weever, 

 attaining to a length of twelve inches, and T. vipera, the 

 Lesser Weever, which grows only to half that size. 



Champsodon. — Body covered with minute granular scales ; 

 lateral lines two, with numerous vertical branches. Cleft of the 

 mouth wide, obHque. Eye lateral, but directed upwards. Two 

 dorsal fins; ventral fins jugular ; pectoral rays branched. Teeth 

 in the jaws in a single series, thin, long, of unequal size. Teeth 

 on the vomer, none on the palate. Gill-openings exceedingly 

 wide. Prifioperculum with a spine at the angle and a fine serra- 

 ture on the posterior margin. 



Champsodon vorax is not uncommon at small depths off 

 the Philippine Islands, Admiralty Islands, and in the Arafura 

 Sea. 



Percis. — Body cylindrical, with small ctenoid scales ; cleft 

 of the mouth slightly oblique ; eye lateral, but directed upwards. 

 Dorsal fins more or less continuous, the spinous with four or five 

 short stiff spines ; ventrals a little before the pectorals. Yilli- 

 form teeth in the jaws, with the addition of canines ; teeth on 

 the vomer, none on the palatines. Opercles feebly armed. 



Fifteen species ; small, but prettily coloured shore-fishes 

 of the Indo-Pacific, 



SiLLAGO. — Body covered with rather small, ctenoid scales. 



