MEDITERRANEAN URANOSCOPUS. 



259 



and its lovely coloring, has always attracted the attention of voyagers, even though 

 they have possessed no skill in natural history. 



This beautiful fish is notable for the two long detached filaments that are planted 

 between the head and the dorsal fin, the first being extremely elongated and the second 

 much shorter. The first spine of the dorsal fin is solitary, and at first sight looks like 

 another isolated filament. In all the members of this genus, the praeoperculum is 

 armed with long, sharp, and powerful spines, the scales of the body are strongly 

 keeled, and there is no appearance of a lateral line. Four species of Flying Gurnards 

 are known, the two which have been selected affording excellent types of their general 

 form. In the Indian Flying Gurnard, the pectorals are covered with brown spots, and 

 dotted rather profusely with bluish white. 



WE now arrive at a moderately large family of fishes, called, from the typical genus, 

 Trachinidae. In these creatures the body is long and rather flattened, the gill-covers 

 are wide, and the teeth are arranged in bands. 



MEDITERRANEAN URANOSCOPUS. Unaosocopua softer. 



OUR first example of these fishes is the very remarkable MEDITERRANEAN URANO- 

 SCOPUS, a word which requires some little explanation before examining the form and 

 habits of the species. The generic title is derived from two Greek words, literally sig- 

 nifying sky-gazer, and is given to the fish on account of the peculiar position of the 

 eyes, which are set so singularly on the upper part of the head, that they look upwards, 

 instead of sideways, as is the usual custom among the finny inhabitants of the waters. 



This species lives mostly at the bottom of deep peas, and is said to angle for the 

 smaller fish, on which it feeds, by agitating a slender filamentary appendage of its 

 mouth in such a manner as to resemble a worm, and to pounce on the deluded victims 

 when they hurry to the spot in hopes of a meal. Though a fish of rather repulsive 

 aspect, its flesh is tolerably good, and is eaten in many parts of Europe and along the 

 shores of the Mediterranean. 



Its head is very large and broad, and is partially covered with bony plates, and the 

 opening of the mouth is nearly vertical. The slender filament which has already been 



