THE ARMED BULLHEAD. 71 



Montagu considered this species as more common on the 

 eastern parts of the kingdom than on the shores of the west, 

 one or two instances only having occurred to him on the 

 south coast of Devon ; and Mr. Neill has recorded its capture 

 in the Forth. It is not, however, uncommon along the line 

 of our southern coast, where it is well known ; and the young 

 of small size are frequently taken by the shrimpers in most 

 of the sandy bays in the mouth of the Thames, and of other 

 rivers : on the eastern coast it is very plentiful. It sel- 

 dom exceeds six inches in length ; its food is aquatic insects, 

 and small crustaceous animals : it spawns in May, deposit- 

 ing the ova among stones, and its flesh is said to be firm and 

 good. 



D. 5 7 : P. 15 : V. 1 +2 : A. 7 : C. 11. 



The head is depressed, and wider than the body ; from the 

 edge of each operculum the body tapers gradually to the 

 tail ; the nose has three recurved spines ; the chin furnished 

 with several minute cirri ; the eyes placed nearly vertical, 

 irides yellow, pupils black : the mouth small ; teeth also small, 

 but numerous : the suborbital bone and preoperculum each 

 ending in a spine ; operculum surmounted by a spine, and an 

 occipital tubercle on each side ; a scapulary tubercle over the 

 origin of each pectoral fin. The body divided longitudinally 

 by eight scaly ridges, of which those on the upper part of the 

 body are the most produced. The whole body defended by 

 eight rows of strong scaly plates, of which the elevated ridges 

 form the central lines ; the lateral line straight, lying parallel 

 between the two ridges on the side. Two dorsal fins slightly 

 connected by a membrane, of a light brown colour mottled 

 with dark brown ; pectoral fins large, with a broad bar of 

 brown across the centre ; the general colour of the upper 

 surface of the body brown, with four broad dark brown 



