C O T T U S. 



157 



from his thumbing the meal to try if it is properly 

 ground. But it is prohable that the mere i'act of the 

 fish being found preity generally in mill-streams may 

 have given origin to the name ; tor the head of the fish 

 is more like the thumb of a cobbler than that of a 

 miller. As this species is greasy to the feel and 

 insipid to the taste, and as it contains little flesh, good 

 or bad, it is not eaten in this country; but it is said 

 to be eaten in Italy ; and that, in some parts of the 

 north of Europe, it is hung up, exactly balanced, in 

 order that by the direction of its head it may tell how 

 the wind sets, which, of course, it does not do unless 

 exposed to the wind. 



The particular characters of this species are : the 

 mouth wide, the jaws of nearly equal length, with 

 numerous pointed teeth in both jaws, and also on 

 the anterior part of the vomer ; the head spinous ; 

 pupils of the eyes dark blue, irides yellow; gills 

 ending in a flattened point ; a membrane between the 

 two dorsal fins ; rays of all the fins spotted ; upper 

 part blackish brown ; sides lighter, spotted with black, 

 under part white. This species deposits its spawn in 

 summer. 



Coitus bubalis (father-lasher, long spined-cottus). 

 This is a very formidable looking fish, and from its 

 shape, its numerous spines, and a variety of other 

 peculiarities in its appearance, it is a fish of some 

 interest. It belongs to the cold seas rather than to 

 the warm ; and though it is rarely met with on the 

 British shores of more than from six to nine inches in 

 length, it grows much larger in the extreme north, 

 and the natives of Greenland are said to make a sort 

 of soup of it, similar to that which is made of the 

 haddock in Scotland. In ordinary cases the father- 

 lasher expires the moment it is taken out of salt 

 water and put into fresh, but by gradually passing 

 through the brackish water it is said to be able to 

 ascend the estuaries for the purpose of depositing its 

 spawn, which it does about the month of January. It 

 is by no means uncommon on the British shores, and 

 is frequently left, at low water, in small pools among 

 the rocks, and when it is attempted to be caught by 

 the hand it puts on rather a formidable appearance, 

 by distending its gill-covers, erecting the spines, and 

 making motions as if it were disposed to strike right 

 and left at any one who might attempt to seize it. 



We know not what may be the cause, but there 

 are many parts of the east coast of Scotland where 

 this fish is more fequently found dead on the beach 

 than any other species; and as we have generally 

 met with its body upon gravelly beaches where the 

 current runs strong, it may be that it gets entangled 

 iimong the stones and stranded, or that the want of 

 an air-bladder may prevent it from managing itself 

 well in turbulent water. 



Notwithstanding the frequency of the dead body 

 of this fish on the places of the coast that have been 

 alluded to, it is by no means a delicate fish, but on 

 the other hand remarkably tenacious of life. It is 

 well observed by Mr. Yarrell, in his work on British 

 fishes, now in course of publication, that the large- 

 ness of the gill-openings of fishes, cannot be the only 

 cause why they die soon when taken out of the water. 

 All fishes which have the gill-lid armed with erectible 

 spines, have more power over it than those which 

 possess no such armature ; and we may naturally 

 conclude, that they are able to move these with less 

 derangement to the fibres of the gills when 'these are 

 not supported in water. 



The head of the father-lasner has some resem- 

 blance to that of a lurking predatory quadruped, with 

 its ears laid backwards against its neck, and prowling 

 for prey. The eyes are very near to each other, and 

 the sight directed vertically, their colour, black pupils 

 with yellow irides, gives them a little the air of 

 those of a wild beast ; and this is further heightened 

 by the elevation and straightness of the frontal ridges. 

 These ridges are continued quite to the nape, where 

 they end in two spines ; there are also four spines 

 upon the pre-operculum, of which the upper one is of 

 considerable length ; one on the scapula, and a clavi- 

 cular one on each side, and two on the nose. The 

 colour on the upper part is dark brown, mottled with 

 red brown, the under part is white. There has been 

 some confusion between this and another marine 

 species, although in appearance there is a good deal 

 of difference between them. This other species is 



Coitus scorpius (the sea scorpion, or short-spined 

 cottus). This is also an inhabitant of seas far to the 

 north, and understood to grow to a larger size in cold 

 latitudes than in those which are more temperate ; and 

 though it is not very likely, still it is possible that it 

 may seek the more southerly haunts for the purpose 

 of spawning. With us it is about the same size as 

 the other, and it is found abundantly in many parts 

 of the shore. In its general appearance it holds a 

 sort of middle place between the river bull-head and 

 the father-lasher. The head is large, more elevated 

 than that of the bull-head, with a prominent ridge 

 between the eyes and the snout, and a spine on each 

 side of it. There are no spines on the nape, but 

 there are three short ones on the pre-operculum, and 

 two on the operculum itself. The colour is nearly 

 the same as that of the former species, but the shape 

 of the fins is different, and the ventral fins are 

 attached, posteriorly, to the belly of the fish by a 

 membrane. It is understood that this species spawns 

 much later in the year than the father-lasher, which 

 latter species spawns in January. 



Cottus quadricornus. This is also a northern species* 

 being much more frequent on the northern shores of 

 Europe than in the temperate countries, though it is 

 by no means rare on some parts of the east coast of 

 Britain ; and it is understood that this is about the 

 last fish that is met with in the extreme north. There 

 are four horned tubercles on the upper part of the 

 head, from which it gets the name of four horned. It 

 has three spines on the pre-operculum, and one only 

 on the operculum. The body of it is more elongated 

 than that of the other species ; the head is brown, 

 with some red on the gill-covers, the sides yellowish, 

 and the belly white ; the fins are finely clouded and 

 mottled. It grows to be a little larger than any of 

 the others, at least it grows longer ; but it is seldom 

 used unless as a bait for other fish. 



This species comes much more rarely on the 

 British shores, so as to be taken in the pools at low 

 water, than any of the former; but it is not unfre- 

 quently met with by the fishers for sprats. 



All the marine species of this genus are under- 

 stood to be voracious, and to feed chiefly upon the 

 fry of other fish, and upon small crustaceous animals, 

 which last they catch in great numbers among the sea 

 weed. They cannot be considered as giving any 

 very striking character to the places which they 

 inhabit, inasmuch as they arc but of diminutive size, 

 do not crowd in numerous shoals, and are of little 

 value. They have, however, a distinct geographical 



