548 



THE RED AND THE FLYING GURNARD. 



white on the flanks. The rays of the fins are spotted with dark black- 

 ish brown and white, rather variable in different individuals, and the 

 fins are marked with dark-brown dots. The eyes are yellow, and the 

 pupil very dark blue. It is but a small fish, averaging four, and sel- 

 dom exceeding five, inches in length. 



We now come to the typical genus of this family, which is repre- 

 sented by several well-known British species. 



The Red Gurnard — or Cuckoo Gurnard, as it is sometimes called, 

 from the sound it utters when taken out of the water — is very common 



The Red Gurnard {Trigla cuculus). 



on the English coast. It is rather a small fish, rarely exceeding four- 

 teen inches in length. The colors of its body when living are very 

 beautiful, the upper part being bright red, and the under parts silvery 

 white. 



There are nine species of Gurnard known to frequent the coasts of 

 Kngland, some, as the Sapphirine and the Mailed Gurnards, being 

 most extraordinary in form. 



The Flying Gurnard is common in the Indian seas. Its pectoral 

 tins are so much enlarged that when it springs out of the water, when 



