THE BULLHEADS AND GURNARDS. 347 



[Couch's Sea-Bream and the Gilthead are stragglers only 

 to our seas. One of the former, which grows to a weight 

 of 10 Ibs., was taken off the Cornish coast. The latter is 

 caught in the same waters. It is named after the crescent- 

 shaped yellow mark between the eyes.] 



4. THE BERGYLT. 



The red Bergylt, which grows to a weight of at least 30 



Ibs., is chiefly interesting because, like one of our blennies, 



Bergylt or ** brings forth its young alive, the breeding 



Norway season being in summer. More properly a 



Haddock, northern fi snj ft fi n( j s ft s way to Scottish and 



Irish waters occasionally, where it is taken on long lines 

 set for cod in deep water. Cunningham gives in the 

 appendix to his recent work an interesting comparison 

 between this fish and that other European marine species, 

 the aforesaid blenny, which bears its young in the same 

 fashion ; and he points out their differences, the blenny 

 being a littoral fish, lurking under stones, the bergylt 

 living out in deep water, where it pursues its food boldly. 



CHAPTER II. THE BULLHEADS AND 

 GURNARDS. 



i. THE BULLHEADS. 



As the first representative of this group, we have in the 



Miller's Thumb a prickly little fish, familiar in most of our 



* Miller's clear running streams, where it lurks beneath 



Thumb, the stones, a favourite method of dislodging it 

 being to strike the stone sharply, which has the effect of 

 stunning the recluse beneath. In colour this fish is greenish 

 above, lighter on the sides and belly, and marked with 



