292 THE SEA SURGEON. 



OUR last example of this family is the well-known VIVIPAROUS BLENNY, called also 

 by the popular names of EEL-POUT, LUMPER, GUFFER, and GREENBONE, the last-men- 

 tioned title being given to it because, when boiled, the bones have a green hue. 



As its name imports, the Viviparous Blenny lays no spawn, but produces its young 

 alive, and able to shift for themselves. In one case, where a female fish of about fifteen 

 inches in length was taken, the young were about four inches long. It is a very curious 

 fact, that the size of the new-born young seems to depend upon that of their parent, the 

 offspring of a Blenny of seven inches in length measuring only one inch and a half. 



The flesh of this fish is tolerably good, but is not in very great repute, so that it is 

 but seldom to be seen in the markets. According to the most careful observations, it 

 appears to be less common in the south than in the north of England, and while it is 

 plentiful on the Yorkshire coasts, is scarcely to be found upon those of Devonshire. 

 In such cases, however, the apparent discrepancy is often attributable 1 to the differing 

 abilities of the observers, and not to the absolute abundance or scarcity of the species. 

 It generally hides itself under stones or seaweed, preferring the large heavy algae called 

 tang. 



The body of this fish tapers gradually from the shoulders to the tail, in thickness as 

 well as in depth, and when examined with a pocket magnifier, the surface appears to 

 be studded with circular depressions. Its general color is pale brown, and its length 

 varies between six and sixteen inches. 



PASSING by several small families, we come to a very curious fish, denominated the 

 RIBAND-SHAPED VAAGMAR, sometimes called the DEAL-FISH (Trachypterus drcticus). 



This singular fish is remarkable for the extreme compression of the body, a specimen 

 three feet in length not being thicker than an ivory paper-knife. The dorsal fin of 

 this fish extends completely along the back, there is no anal fin, and the tail fin stands 

 boldly erect, like the closed tail-feathers of a fan-tail pigeon. The general color of the 

 Vaagmar is silvery white, and the body is covered with very small scales. The dorsal 

 fin is bright orange, sometimes being of a blood-red, and the tail fin is of the same hue. 

 On each side are two oval spots of blackish gray, set obliquely on the body. The length 

 of this fish often reaches six feet. 



It is one of the northern fishes, and is very seldom seen on our coasts. 



A SPECIES even still more remarkable is, on very rare occasions, obtained on our 

 coasts, but owing to the extreme fragility of its structure it is mostly deficient in some 

 of its parts. 



The OARED GYMNETRUS, or RIBBON-FISH (Regalecus Banksii), is also greatly com- 

 pressed throughout its length, and is equally delicate with the last-mentioned species. 

 It is chiefly notable for the very odd structure of the ventral fins, which are reduced to 

 long slender filaments, much resembling in shape the long tail-feathers of the racket- 

 tail humming-bird. This fish sometimes attains very great dimensions, a specimen in 

 the British Museum measuring twelve feet in length. Its color is silvery gray, mottled 

 with dusky spots of varying depth which are most conspicuous towards the head. The 

 whole surface of the skin is plentifully studded with bony tubercles, and on the line 

 of the abdomen each tubercle is furnished with a hooked point directed backwards. 

 Along the lateral line runs a row of elongated flat scales. 



IN the next family, the tail is mostly armed with one or more bony spines or plates, 

 small in the young, but increasing in size with the dimensions of the fish. 



The SEA SURGEON is a good type of these fishes, and derives its popular name from 

 the sharply pointed and keen-edged spine on the side of the tail, which cuts and wounds 

 like a surgeon's lancet. The generic name signifying Thorn-tail is given to it in con- 

 sequence of this structure. This species is found on the Atlantic coasts of Tropical 

 America and Africa and is tolerably plentiful in the Caribbean seas. The scales of 

 this fish are very small, and the single spine on each side of the tail is movable and set 

 in a longitudinal groove. Its food is of a vegetable nature. 



In color it is rather variable, but the ground tint is usually of a brownish hue, and 

 the operculum has a black edge. In some specimens the end of the tail is marked with 





