76 GENERA AND SPECIES. 



Anarrhichas. Plate x. BLENNIID&. 

 75. lupus, CAT-FISH. Long curved teeth in the front of each jaw. 



The Cat-fish, Sea-cat, or Wolf-fish, is the unprepossessing indi- 

 vidual who, with his head cut off, is frequently sold as " rock- 

 salmon," a name really belonging to the coal-fish. There is a long 

 dorsal fin with 72 to 74 rays, a long anal with 45 to 48 rays, a rather 

 small rounded caudal with 15 to 18 rays, broad ear-shaped pectorals 

 with 19 rays, and there are no ventrals. The dorsal begins at the 

 nape and almost reaches the base of the tail, the outer margin being 

 a gentle curve that dies away as it reaches the end, while that of the 

 anal terminates abruptly exactly underneath it. The scales are 

 rudimentary, and there is a row of pores on the head, which has a 

 more ferocious appearance than that of any other British fish. The 

 mouth is large, and extends beyond the eye. In the upper jaw there 

 are 4 large curved canines and 6 or 8 smaller conical teeth ; in the 

 lower jaw there are 2 or 3 diverging canines, which are conical and 

 curved with 2 smaller ones behind, and behind them are two 

 rows of rounded molars converging into one. In the roof of the 

 mouth there are 3 double rows of teeth, those in the centre being 

 flat and those at the sides being pointed. In colour the Cat-fish is 

 bluish grey, darkest along the back, with broad vertical bands 

 stretching down the sides. It is strong, swift, and fierce, and feeds 

 on crustaceans and molluscs, using the powerful teeth for crushing 

 the shells. As a rule it is found near the bottom along rocky 

 coasts, its food being more abundant there. When a year old it is 

 from 7 to 8 inches long, and when full grown it attains from 3 to 6 

 feet or more. 



Anguilla. Plate xxii. MUR&NIDJE 



166. vulgaris, EEL. Vertical fins continuous. 



The Eel has a pair of pectorals with from 17 to iSrays; the dorsal, 

 caudal, and anal join, forming one long fin extending from about 

 a quarter the length of the body from the snout to nearly the middle 

 of the body underneath. In this fin there are from 480 to 500 rays. 

 The tail is prehensile. The mouth extends to the middle of the eye 

 or slightly beyond, there being no great difference in the length of 

 the jaws. The scales are small and buried in the skin. In colour 

 the Eel is dark olive above and whitish or yellowish below. In 

 length it may exceed a yard, but is generally shorter. In habits it 

 is nocturnal, and its haunts are rivers and pools near them in which 

 the water is clear and the bottom muddy, but it migrates to the sea 

 to spawn. In the male the lips are broad, in the female they are 

 narrow ; before the sexes were made out these were assumed to be 

 two different species. The migration seawards takes place in the 

 autumn and the spawn is deposited not far from the shore where the 

 influence of the river water is still perceptible. Early in January 

 young eels or " elvers," as they are called, are big enough to be 

 noticeable on the ebb of the tide; in April or thereabouts they ascend 

 the rivers, and when mature, perhaps in the second or third year, 



