BLENNIUS.] PISCES (OSSEI) ACANTHOPT. 381 



quite to the caudal ; the first ray only half the length of the second ; the 

 second a little shorter than the third; this last and the rest nearly equal, 

 and of about the same length as the dorsal fin-rays, the ends, however, 

 projecting further, the connecting membrane not being so deep : caudal 

 rounded, with the principal rays branched : pectorals a little shorter than 

 the head, also rounded : ventrals very small, consisting of only three rays, 

 the longest being scarcely more than one-third the length of the head : 

 number of fin-rays ; 



D. 51 ; A. 37 ; C. 14, and some short ones ; P. 14 ; V. 3. 



{Colours,) "General colour of the body and fins pale brown, mottled on 

 the sides with darker brown; the head, the anterior part of the body, 

 the ventral and pectoral fins, being darker than the other parts." YARR. 

 Of this species, I have only seen the specimen, taken at Berwick-upon- 

 Tweed, which has been already described by Mr. Yarrell, and which was 

 kindly lent me for examination. To that gentleman we are indebted for 

 having cleared up some part of its history. It is probably the same 

 as the B. Galerita of Dr. Fleming, which was found by him in Loch 

 Broom. It is also clearly identical with Pennant's figure of the Crested 

 Blenny, but the description of that species, in the " British Zoology," is 

 in part borrowed from Willughby, and belongs to the Alauda cristata 

 of that author, which last I am inclined to think is synonymous with 

 the next species. 



** Head with one principal, transverse, crest-like, 

 appendage. 



56. B. Galerita, Mont. (Montagues Blenny.) 



B. Galerita, Mont, in Wern. Mem. vol. i. p. 98. pi. 5. f. 2. Alauda 

 cristata sive Galerita, Will. Hist, Pise. p. 134. B. Montagui, 

 Flem. Brit. An. p. 206. Diminutive Blenny, Penn. Brit. Zool. 

 (Edit. 1812.) vol. in. p. 277. Montagu s Blenny, Yarr. Brit. Fish. 

 vol. i. p. 219. 



LENGTH. From one and a half to two and a half inches. MONT. 



DESCRIPT. "Body rather more slender than the Smooth Blenny: 

 head much sloped ; eyes high up, approximating, gilded ; the upper lip 

 furnished with a bony plate that projects at the angles of the mouth 

 into a thin lamina that turns downwards, the ends of which are orange- 

 coloured : on the top of the head, between the eyes, a transverse, fleshy, 

 fimbriated membrane ; the fimbrice of a purplish brown colour, tipped 

 with white : nostrils furnished with a minute bifid appendage : behind 

 the crest several minute, erect, filiform appendiculce, between that and 

 the dorsal fin, placed longitudinally: lateral line considerably curved 

 near the head : pectorals large and ovate, of twelve rays, reaching as far 

 as the vent : ventrals, two unconnected rays : dorsal extending from the 

 head to the tail, of thirty rays, and appearing like two distinct fins, 

 by reason of the slope to the thirteenth ray, which is not above half 

 the length of the anterior ones, and the sudden elongation of the four- 

 teenth ray; this fin is very broad, and in one specimen there was an 

 ovate black spot between the first and second ray, and another obscure 

 one between the next rays, but this is not a constant character: anal 

 fin equally broad, and extending from the vent to the tail, consisting 

 of eighteen rays usually margined with black, and tipped with white: 

 caudal slightly rounded, composed of fourteen rays. 



D. 30; A. 18; C. 14; P. 12; V. 2. 



