SEA SCORPION. 61 



Like the other species of this genus, it is voracious in its 

 appetite, and swims rapidly. There is reason to believe that 

 this fish does not deposit its spawn at the same period of the 

 year as the Coitus bubalis ; some specimens of the former, exa- 

 mined in the month of November, exhibited little or no appear- 

 ance of roe, while female specimens of the latter, if examined 

 at the same time of the year, would be found to contain ova 

 of large size, which are deposited in January, and are of a fine 

 orange yellow colour. It has even been stated of C. scorpius, 

 that it spawns in the spring, and that the ova are as black 

 as ink. 



In its habits this species resembles the Father-Lasher, and 

 is found under stones and among fuel in the pools above low- 

 water mark on our shores. They are very common, and 

 every haul of a net of almost any description is nearly certain 

 to produce examples of one species or the other, but seldom 

 of both in the same immediate locality : no use, however, is 

 made of them, and, on account of their numerous spines, they 

 are handled with caution, only to be thrown overboard ; but if 

 allowed to remain on the deck of the vessel, they are observed 

 to be very tenacious of life. Their food is small crustaceous 

 animals and the fry of other fish generally, which their wide 

 mouths enable them to overcome without making any nicety 

 in the selection necessary. Fin-rays : 



D 8 or 9 14 : P. 17 : V. 1 + 3 : A. 11 : C 12. 



The head large, more elevated than that of the River 

 Bullhead ; upper jaw rather the longer; teeth small and sharp : 

 eyes large, situated about half-way between the point of the 

 nose and the occiput ; irides yellow, pupils bluish black : one 

 pair of spines above the nostrils, with an elevated ridge 

 between them ; the inner edges of the orbits elevated with a 

 hollow depression above, but no occipital spines : preopercu- 



