138 MARINE AND FRESHWATER FISHES 



and made off with the coveted booty in the rear ; or, as 

 frequently happened, there was a concerted attack along his 

 lines of more than half-a-dozen fish. Thus overpowered by 

 numbers, there was but little chance of a young family 

 descending from the rocky fortress, and, indeed, several 

 times within the course of an entire month spent by the 

 little Blenny in the arduous endeavour to guard his embryo 

 brood, the little aerie was mercilessly stripped of every egg. 

 At the end of that period an untimely end befel our little 

 hero ; wearied out with his exertions he was at length 

 unable to cope with the odds arrayed against him, and was 

 found one morning literally torn to pieces at the foot of the 

 ledge he had so long defended, a huge fellow, nearly twice 

 his size, and who had doubtless been chiefly instrumental 

 in bringing about his overthrow, now occupying the post of 

 honour. One other little episode concerning the object of 

 this notice remains to be chronicled : While the female was 

 depositing her spawn, an operation which extended over 

 several days, her brave little partner was seen on several 

 occasions to descend to the bottom of the tank, and hurriedly 

 snatching up a fragment of the food supplied for the 

 general weal, to return with it aloft and place it at the 

 disposal of his lady-love. 



The remaining members of the family Blennidce include 

 Yarrell's Blenny (Carilophus ascani\ No. 79, a rare form, 

 somewhat resembling (Blennius gattorugine), examples of 

 which are among the desiderata of the Buckland and Day 

 Collections ; the Spotted Gunnell, or Butter-fish (Centronotus 

 gunnellus\ No. 80, an elongate, much compressed Eel- 

 like form, attaining a length of ten or eleven inches, and the 

 Viviparous Blenny, or Eel-pout (Zoarces viviparus\ No. 81, 

 remarkable as representing the only undoubtedly viviparous 

 British Acanthopterygian fish. The young when born are 



