256 THE ORIENTAL GURNARD. 



which is crossed with numerous short, straight, narrow, and elevated lines, which have 

 been compared by some writers to the needle-shaped leaves of the pine. The name of 

 Cuckoo Gurnard is given to it, because when it is first taken out of the water it emits 

 a sound which bears a distant resemblance to the cuckoo's cry. The curious soft rays 

 which project from the base of the pectoral fin in this and other Gurnards are evidently 

 organs of touch, being plentifully supplied with nerves and movable at the will of the 

 owner. 



The color of this fish is bright rosy red above, and silvery white on the sides and 

 abdomen. These colors soon fade after the fish has been removed from the water. 



The GRAY GURNARD (Trigla Gurnardus) is also tolerably common, and is readily to 

 be known by its short pectoral fins and the greenish brown body, spotted with white 

 above the lateral line. On account of the peculiar sound which it utters, it is popu- 

 larly known in Scotland by the name of CROONER, and in Ireland is called the NOWD. 



ANOTHER curious species, the SHINING or LONG-FINNED GURNARD (Trigla obsctira), 

 is sometimes found on the British shores. This remarkable fish is at once known by 

 the great length of the second spine of the dorsal fin, which is nearly double the length 

 of the other spines, and projects boldly with a slight curve towards the tail. It is a 

 handsomely colored fish, the head and upper part of the body being vermilion-red, and 

 the abdomen white, tinged with red. The flanks are shining silvery white, and have 

 given cause for the name of Shining Gurnard. The fins are all bright red, with the 

 exception of the pectorals, which are deep blue. 



The LYRIE, or ARMED BULL-HEAD, is found on our coasts, and is known by a great 

 variety of names, such as ARMED BULL-HEAD, POGGE, SEA POACHER, and NOBLE. 



It is a curious-looking fish, with its bony armor-plates and shielded head. It is 

 most commonly taken near the mouths of rivers, though it is sometimes captured far 

 out at sea. Its flesh is firm and good, but its small size and bony shields render it 

 scarcely serviceable for the table. It feeds mostly on aquatic annuals. 



The body of the Lyrie is covered by eight rows of bony plates, strongly reminding the 

 observer of the sturgeon, and the head, gill-cover, and shoulders are strongly armed with 

 spines. The general color of the Lyrie is brown above, crossed with several broad bands 

 of dark brown, and the abdomen is white with a trifling tinge of brown. 



IN the remarkable genus which now comes before our notice, the body is covered 

 with bony plates, like ancient armor, and the front part of the head is formed into a 

 deeply cleft fork on account of the development of certain bones of the skull. 



The ORIENTAL GURNARD is found in the Japanese seas, and is a good example of the 

 genus to which it belongs, the bony plates being very large, and the forked processes 

 of the head well developed. Between the ventral fins, each bony plate is just three 

 times as long as it is broad. The praeoperculum is furnished with a strong spine, 

 crossed by a projecting ridge from its angle. 



A VERY curious species belonging to this genus is sometimes, though very rarely, 

 found in the British seas, and is known by the name of MAILED GURNARD (Peristethus 

 cataphractum}. 



In this fish, the bony plates between the ventral fins are twice as long as they are 

 broad. It mostly prefers rather deep water over rocky ground, but approaches the shallows 

 for the purpose of spawning. Its food consists of the softer crustaceans, medusas and 

 similar creatures. It is a swift swimmer, but seems to be rather reckless, as it not un- 

 frequently strikes its forked snout against the stones, and breaks off one or both points. 

 The flesh of the Mailed Gurnard is tolerably good, but requires some care in cooking, 

 besides costing some little trouble in freeing it from the hard bony plates in which the body 

 is so securely enveloped. In order to clear away these defences, the fish must be soaked in 

 warm water, and the scales stripped off from the tail upward. In some places, such as the 

 coasts of Spain, it is held in considerable estimation, and is especially sought by fishermen. 



