BULL-HEADS AND GURNARDS. 



383. 



title from the beautiful azure tint of their inner surfaces. More abundant than 

 the other species, this gurnard may reach a couple of feet in length, its general 

 colour being brownish red. A third British form is commonly known as the piper 

 (T. lyra), and may be recognised by the unusually large size of the head, the more 

 projecting muzzle, and the greater length of the spines of the gill-cover. The 



SAPPHIRINE GURNARDS ( j nat. size). 



general colour is brilliant red, with the under-parts white. It attains a length of 

 a couple of feet, and is supposed to take its name from the grunting sound which, 

 in common with other species, it emits when first handled, owing to the escape 

 of air through the mouth. The European forms are rarely found on the other side 

 of the Atlantic, where their place is taken by representatives of the third subgenus. 

 Two British species are figured in the coloured Plate, namely, the grey gurnard 

 (T. gurnardus) above, and the streaked gurnard (T. lineata) below. 



