490 THE DRAGON ET8. 



eight or nine. It is nowhere found in numbers together, 

 thereby giving reason to suppose it lives alone or in pairs. 

 From the shape of its body it would seem to be slow in 

 its movements, and of a sluggish disposition, \\ith which 

 supposition all we know of its habits agrees. It dwells in 

 deep water, probably where the bottom is soft, and only 

 comes near the shore on the approach of the breeding 

 season. Both from its conformation and manner of living, 

 Swedish ichthyologists imagine it to live in monogamy. 

 It is said to be very tenacious of life, and to exist very 

 long out of the water. Its food consists of such small 

 prey as it can secure. One commonly finds in its stomach 

 several kinds of small Crustacea and univalve testacea, 

 large quantities of the crushed shells of these animals, 

 closely packed together, being often found in the thin 

 intestinal canal. Its flesh is white and palatable ; but 

 being included amongst fishes tabooed by the fishermen, 

 it is not sought after, and, when accidentally captured 

 by nets or otherwise, is usually cast overboard. 



The ( '(fllioii I/HI its macnlat us, llafin. (Fldckig Sju-kocl:, or, 

 spotted dragonet, Sw.), pretty common in its proper home, 

 the Mediterranean, is very ran- in the Scandinavian seas, 

 only two specimens having hitherto been taken, viz., one 

 in the Sound in 1830, and the other in the Boh us Sksir- 

 gard, in 1836; both were males, the females not having 

 as yet been met with. It does not appear to be the same 

 species as that depicted and described by Yarrell, under 

 the name of the Sordid Dragonet (C. J)r<iri>in-nliis. Linn.). 

 It is much smaller than the (\ /.///<>, probably not 

 much exceeding six indies in length. The habits of both 

 would seem to be very similar. 



The Common An-ler. Fishm- Frog, or Sea Devil 



/ ./////// Muriill:, S\v. ; I'mlilrjiti/.-, Norw. ; J/nr-fnu/.-c, i.e. 



sea-purse, Dan. ; Luji/iin* /;/..(<> /<>////*, Linn.), was not 



uncommon in our Bk&rg&rd, and on the western coast of 



