160 TOAD GADUS. 



compressed, tapering pretty suddenly towards the 

 tail : the eyes are large, with gold-coloured irides^. 

 and are situated towards the upper part of the head : 

 on each side the eyes is a series of small warts : the 

 mouth is wide ; the upper jaw furnished with several 

 rows of sharp teeth ; the lower with only two rows : 

 the upper lip projects somewhat beyond the lower, 

 which is fringed with a semicircle of short cirrhi or 

 beards : the pectoral and ventral fins are of a 

 sharpened form, and the first ray of the latter is 

 very strong, and of a considerable length : the rays 

 of the first dorsal fin, which is very small, are spiny ; 

 those of the second dorsal, as well as of the anal and 

 caudal, are soft, and project somewhat beyond the 

 edge of the membrane : the tail is rounded. The 

 colour of this fish is yellowish brown, paler beneath, 

 and the whole body as well as the fins variegated 

 with pretty numerous and somewhat irregular 

 blackish spots: the tail marked by two or three 

 transverse bars, and between the eyes is commonly 

 observed a transverse yellow bar or band. Native 

 of the American arid Indian seas. Grows to the 

 length of about a foot, but is generally found of 

 smaller size. It is supposed to be of a predacious 

 nature, but its particular history seems to be not 

 very distinctly known. The Count de Cepede 

 places this fish, together with the Gadus blennoides 

 of Linnaeus, in a distinct genus, to which he gives 

 the title of Batrachoides. 



