FISHES. 473 



Is the commonest of all tlie gurnards on these coasts, 



more especially in the Cattegat Sound and South Baltic 



and on the west coast of Norway. Goes far up within 



the Polar circle ; yet, strange to say, not a single 



species of gurnard is met with on the coasts of Finland. 



This gurnard may be known from any other by the grey 



colour of the back, covered with small yellow spots ; sides 



below the sharp lateral line pink and yellow ; the fin rays 



in the pectorals shorter than the head, and do not reach back 



to the anus ; usual length 12 to 14 in. D. 819 ; P. 3,10 ; 



V. 1,5; A. 19; C. 13. 



10. T. BLOCHII, Yarr. Gnoding Med Kyggen Flack. 

 Bloch/s Gurnard. D. 



Whatever obscurity may rest on the identity of Bloch's 

 fish, the Swedish species, as described by Nilsson, agrees 

 with YarrelPs description of Bloch's Gurnard, and one 

 of his distinguishing marks is the dark spot between 

 the third and sixth rays of the first dorsal. This spot 

 must not, however, be relied upon as a safe or constant 

 mark of distinction, and is not even noticed by Couch in 

 his description of Blocks gurnard. 



Nilsson dees not appear quite satisfied that this is a good 

 species, but fancies that it may be the young of the last. It 

 may, however, be always distinguished from the adult grey 

 gurnard, which it closely resembles, by the first three spines 

 in the foremost dorsal being quite smooth, and from the 

 British red gurnard, which it resembles in colour, by the 

 serrated lateral line. 



Nilsson does not tell us the comparative length of the 

 first ray in the foremost dorsal ; he only says, in describing 

 his specimen, which was 8 in. long, that the length of the 

 head to the point of the opercular spine was as 3f in the 

 whole length of the fish, and the greatest height occu- 

 pied about -^ in the length to the tail root. The longest 

 ray in the first dorsal is rather more than f of the body 

 height. This description hardly seems to agree with Couch's 

 figure of the British Bloch's gurnard. 



