THE SEA SCORPION. 



253 



The name of Miller's Thumb is derived from the peculiarly wide and flattened head, 

 which is thought to bear some resemblance to the object whence its name is taken. A 

 miller judges of the quality of the rneal by rubbing it with his thumb over his fingers as 

 it is shot from the spout, and by the continual use of this custom, the thumb becomes 

 gradually widened and flattened at its extremity. The name of Bull-head also alludes to 

 the same width and flatness of the skull. 



BULL-HEAD. CoMiti gobio. 



The Bull-head is a voracious little fish, feeding on various water insects, worms, larvae, 

 and the young fry of other fish. It is a representative of a rather large genus, comprising 

 about twenty-six or twenty-seven known species, which are spread over all the northern and 

 temperate parts of the world. In Russia the Bull-head is believed by the general public 

 to possess the same quality as is attributed to the kingfisher by our own rustic population, 

 and to indicate the direction of the wind by always keeping its head turned to windward 

 when it is dried and suspended horizontally by a thread. 



The mouth of this little fish is very wide, and contains numerous minute teeth. There 

 is one spine on the prseoperculum, and the operculum ends in a flattened point. The 

 general colour of the smooth skin is very dark brown on the back, white on the abdomen, 

 and greyish white on the flanks. The rays of the fins are spotted with dark blackish 

 brown and white, rather variable in different individuals, and the fins are marked with 

 dark brown dots. The eyes are yellow, and the pupil very dark blue. It is but a small 

 fish, averaging four, and seldom exceeding five, inches in length. 



Several other species of this genus inhabit England. There is the SHORT-SPINED 

 COTTUS, or SEA SCOEPION (Coitus scorpius), which, as its name denotes, is one of the 

 marine species. It is a very common fish, being found plentifully under heavy seaweeds 

 and stones in the pools that are left above low-water mark by the retreating tide. The 

 name of Scorpion is given to it on account of the sharp spines with which its head is 

 armed, no less than eight sharp and four rather blunt prickles being found on the head. 

 The rays of the dorsal and pectoral fins are also sharply pointed, so that it must be 

 cautiously handled by those who wish to escape wounded fingers. This is a much prettier 

 species than the preceding fish, its body being rich purple-brown, mottled with a warm 

 red hue, and in the adult male there are some stripes of red on the pectoral fins, and the 

 abdomen is brightly decorated with some snowy white circular spots on glowing scarlet 

 In this country, its extreme length seldom exceeds eight inches. 



