GOBIUS. FISHES. 441 



and conical ; the others bony tubercles with small enamel- 

 led teeth on their summits ; six rays in the branchial mem- 

 brane. 



A. lupus, Lin. The Wolf- Fish. Body and sides grayish, beneath 

 yellowish ; dorsal fin extending along the whole back ; tail small 

 and rounded. 2 to 6 feet long. Inhabits Northern seas. B. 

 Shaw, iv. pi. 13. 

 This species feeds on univalve molluscous and crustaceous animals ; and the teeth 



are so strong as, according to Schonfelde, to leave their marks on an anchor. From 



its forbidding appearance it is not much used as food, though said to be excellent. 



The Greenlanders, however, eat it both fresh and dried. 



Gen. 17. GOBIUS, Lacepede, Lin. 



Body elongated ; head of medium size, rounded ; cheeks tumid ; 

 two dorsal fins, the posterior long ; ventral fins thoracic, unit- 

 ed towards their base into a hollow disk ; four rays in the 

 branchial membrane. 



The fishes of this genus are middle sized or small, and are found among the rocks 

 where the water is shallow. Their ventral fins, united into a hollow disk, is their 

 chief distinguishing character. They are able to live for some time out of the wa- 

 ter. The males have an appendage behind the anus ; and the greater part are pro- 

 vided with a swimming-bladder. 



G. niger, Lin. Common Goby. Body brownish black above, white 

 beneath ; dorsal and anal fins pale blue, the rays marked with 

 minute black spots ; tail rounded. 6 inches long. Inhabits Eu- 

 ropean seas Shaw, iv. pi. 34. 



G. minutus, Lin. The Spotted Goby. Body whitish, obscurely 

 spotted with ferruginous ; streaks of dots of the same colour across 

 the fins ; tail even. 2^ inches long. Inhabits European seas. 

 Don. Brit. Fishes, pi. 38. 



G. Plumerii, Bloch. Body yellowish brown above, paler on the 

 sides, and whitish below ; upper jaw projecting ; tail rounded. 

 3 to 4 inches long. American seas Block, pi. 175, fig. 3. 



G. lanceolatus, Bloch. Body elongated, yellowish brown ; the scales 

 increasing in size towards the tail, which is broad, elongated, and 

 sharp pointed ; sides compressed, of *a pale yellow ; belly gray ; 

 a black spot on each side where the dorsal fins meet. Inhabits 

 rivers in West India Islands. Shaw, iv. pi. 34. 



G. lagocephalus, Pall. Body round, compressed towards the tail, 

 gray or dark brown ; head short, thick, without scales ; lips cleft 

 in the middle, the upper one very thick ; tail oval, rounded. 3 

 inches long. Shaw, iv. 239. 



G. Boddaerti, Pall. Body bluish brown above, with longitudinal 

 spots, reddish white beneath ; head varied with brown and white ; 

 vent surrounded by a black ring, and terminated by a fleshy pro- 

 tuberance ; first dorsal fin blackish blue, spotted with white, and 

 furnished with long projecting filaments. 5 or 6 inches long. 

 Inhabits Indian seas. Shaw, iv. 238. 



