43<5 



VERTEBRATA. 



'.X^' 



TUK SEA-SCOIIPION. 



THE FAXnER LASHER. 



Ii.' Sk ^-ScoiuMox i.r SiioRT-spiNEu CoTTUS, C. scorpius, is five to eight inches long; is very 



voracious, swims rapidly, and is found under stones 

 and sea- weed along the European shores. They are 

 often caught in trawl-nets, but arc of no value; on 

 account of their sJiarp spines they are carefully hand- 

 led ; common in European and American waters. 



The Father Lasher, C. bubalis — called Lucky 

 Proach in Scotland — is six to twelve inches long ; feeds 

 on small Crustacea and young blennies; when touched 

 it sets out its numerous spines, and assumes a most 

 threatening appearance. Found in European waters, 

 and is common on the British coasts. It will live a 

 long time out of water, but taken from the sea and 

 put into fresh water, it dies immediately. la Green- 

 land it grows to a large size, and is much esteemed 

 for soup. 



The Four-horned Cottus, C. quadricornis, called 

 also Greenland Bull-Head or Greenland Sculjjin, is 

 six to eight inches long, feeds on young gobies, 

 which it catches by \jing in ambush among stones 

 or sea-weeds. It is chiefly used as bait for fishing; common in European and American seas. 

 The Common Bull-IIead, C. Virginianus, is regarded by fishermen with aversion, on account 



of its revolting appearance, but it is not 

 a bad article of food ; it is common on 

 our coasts, and bears the popular names 

 of Sculj)in, Sen-Bobin, Sea- Toad, and 

 Pi(/ Pish, the latter from its croaking 

 noise when drawn out of the water. 



Other American species are the Bra- 

 zen Bull-Head, C. ceneus, and Smooth- 

 Browed Bull-Head, C. Mitchillii, &c. 

 Genus ASPIDOPHORUS : Aspidoplwrus. — To this belongs the Armed Bull-Head, A. 



Europceus, noted for being completely 

 covered with horny scales. It has in 

 England the name of Por/rfe, and in Scot- 

 land the various titles of Sca-Poackcr, 

 Pluck, and Noble. It is common on all 

 the coasts of Europe and Greenland. 



Genus SEBASTES : Sebastes.—To this 

 belongs the Bergylt, S. Norvcf/iciis, some- 

 times called Red Sta-Pcrch ; it is twelve 

 to twenty-four inches long; found in the 

 northern seas, south to the coast of Massa- 

 chusetts ; is tolerable food ; the spines are 

 used in Greenland for needles. 



Gen us G ASTEROSTEUS : Gasterosteus. 

 — This includes the Sticklebacks, of which 

 there are several species. They are of 

 small size, usually four or five inches long, 

 but are very interesting, inasmuch as they 

 approach the birds in the art with which 

 they build their nests and the care they 

 take of the eggs and young. The labor falls entirely upon the male, who defends his domicile 



THE FOCR-HOHNED COTTUS. 



THE ARMED BULL-HEAD. 



THE BERGTLT. 



