SPINY EELS. 



395 



The common wolf-fish (A. lupus), often known as the sea-wolf or sea-cat, like two 

 allied species, ranges as far north as Norway and Greenland; in both of which 

 countries its flesh forms a staple article of food. 



Obiique-Spined The fifth family (Acanthoclinidce) of the section under con- 



Eienny. sideration is represented only by the New Zealand oblique-spined 

 blenny (Acanthoclinus littoreus), shown in the annexed illustration, and is charac- 

 terised by the elongate, low, compressed, and scaly body, the single dorsal fin 

 chiefly composed of spines occupying nearly the whole length of the back, arid 

 the comparatively long and many-spined anal ; the pelvic fins being jugular 

 in position, and consisting solely of a few soft rays. On the coasts of New 

 Zealand this blenny is stated to be a very common fish ; its habits being probably 

 similar to those of its European cousins. 



Spiny Eels. 



OBLIQUE-SPINED BLENNY (nat. size), 



The so-called spiny eels of the Oriental region and West Africa 

 form a family (Rhynchobdellidce) affording an interesting example 

 of parallelism in development, since these spiny-finned eels are an exact analogue 

 of the true soft-finned eels. They are characterised by the elongate eel-like 

 form of the body ; the long dorsal fin, of which the anterior portion consists of 

 short isolated spines ; and the absence both of pelvic fins and of a papilla in the 

 neighbourhood of the vent. The gill-opening forms a slit on the side of the head ; 

 four gills are contained in the gill-chamber, and there are no false gills. An 

 elongated movable appendage forms the termination of the muzzle, and although 

 the lower jaw is long, it has but little power of motion. As an especial peculiarity 

 of these fishes, we may notice that in the skeleton there is no connection between 

 the pectoral girdle and the skull. The air-bladder is present. The species 

 (Mastacembelus armatus\ shown in the upper figure of the illustration on p. 396, 

 is one of the Indian representatives of a genus characterised by the smooth 

 under surface of the appendage of the snout, and the presence of a preorbital 

 spine. The members of this genus have a geographical distribution, coextensive 

 with that of the family, being found in the brackish and fresh waters of West 

 Africa, India, Ceylon, Burma, and the Malayan region. On the other hand, 



