THE BULLHEADS AND GURNARDS 



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while in the third teeth are present on the palatine bones. Their colors are fre- 

 quently brilliant, and the fins highly decorated. The genus is represented by some 

 forty species, distributed over all temperate and tropical seas, out of which no less 

 than seven are found in British waters. Their flesh, which is firm and flaky, and 

 of a pale orange-pink tinge, is extensively used as food. One of the best known of 

 the British species is the red gurnard ( T. pini} which seldom exceeds twelve or 

 fourteen inches in length, and, when freshly caught, is of a bright red color, with 

 the sides and under parts silvery white, and the fins reddish white. Its food con- 

 sists of crustaceans, which give the pinkish tinge to its flesh, and the spawning 

 season is May or June. The sapphirine gurnard {T. hirundo}, which is the one 



ARMED BULLHEAD. 



(Two-thirds natural size.) 



represented in the cut, is another British species, taking its Latin name from the 

 length of the pectoral fins, and its English title from the beautiful azure tint 

 of their inner surfaces. More abundant than the other species, this gurnard may 

 reach a couple of feet in length, its general color being brownish red. A third 

 British form is commonly known as the piper ( T. lyra] and may be recognized by 

 the unusually large size of the head, the more projecting muzzle, and the greater 

 length of the spines of the gill cover. The general color is brilliant red, with the 

 under parts white. It attains a length of a couple of feet, and is supposed to take 

 its name from the grunting sound which, in common with other species, it emits 

 when first handled, owing to the escape of air through the mouth. The European 

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