98 ANGLING. 



very extraordinary, and, we doubt not, have been 

 of frequent use in rivetting the early attention of 

 the student of nature. We shall briefly notice 

 these marine species. 



The Short-spined Cottus, Sea Scorpion, or Fa- 

 ther-Lasher (C. scorpius, Bloch), is common around 

 our coasts, and occurs in the Firth of Forth as 

 high up as Kincardine. It feeds on shrimps or 

 other Crustacea, and small fishes, and is frequently 

 found in rocky pools left shallow by the recession 

 of the tide. Its usual length is from half a foot 

 to nine inches, a few being found a foot long. It 

 is eaten by people who know (and can obtain) no 

 better, but is by no means a delicate morsel. 



The Long-spined Cottus, or Lucky Proach of 

 Scotland, also frequently named the Father-Lasher 

 (Cottus bubalis of Cuv. and Val.), is common along 

 the British shores, where it seldom attains to a 

 greater length than eight or ten inches. It exhi- 

 bits rather a formidable aspect when handled, owing 

 to its peculiar habit of projecting its spiny processes, 

 and inflating the sides of the head so as greatly to 

 distend the gill covers. The apertures to the gills 

 are very large, and yet these fishes live for a length 

 of time out of water, the general rule being sup- 

 posed to be, that the power of withstanding removal 

 from moisture depends on the smallness of such 

 apertures. Mr. Yarrell, however, has brought for- 

 ward several cases which militate against this rule ; 

 for example, the Carp, Tench, Barbel, Perch, and 

 the generality of flat fishes, have large gill aper- 

 tures, although they notoriously live long out of 



