THE BLENNIES 345 



not note the sex. The yolk was of an orange-red colour, and 

 quite impervious to light. 



In the Firth of Forth specimens of the viviparous blenny in 

 which the young were ready to be born, were found in February 

 and March between tide-marks. The number of young is from 

 50 to more than loo. Each is about i^ inches long, and 

 in all respects like its parent, all the development and trans- 

 formations taking place within the roe : the two roes are united 

 forming' a single sac. 



The Cat-fish or Sea-cat {AnarrJiichas lupus). 



Distinguishing CJiaractcrs. — In the cat-fish the tail is small but 

 distinct, and the rays of the dorsal fin diminish in length at the 

 hinder end to the base of the tail-fin, while those of the ventral 

 do not. The chief peculiarity is the character of the teeth : in 

 the front of each jaw are a group of long curved canine teeth or 

 fangs ; in the lower jaw behind there is a double row of rounded 

 grinding teeth on each side ; in the roof of the mouth are three 

 double rows, those in the centre flat, at the sides pointed. The 

 colour is a bluish-grey, with a row of black bands passing straight 

 from the back more than half-way down the sides. It reaches 

 6 feet in length. 



It is a northern fish, extending from Iceland and Greenland 

 to the North Sea on the European side, and to Cape Hatteras 

 on the American. In the North Sea it is not usually found 

 south of the Dogger Bank, and is more common at depths over 

 30 fathoms. By means of its powerful teeth it is able to crush the 

 hardest shells, such as that of the whelk, and it feeds upon shell 

 fish, sea-urchins, and Crustacea. 



The eggs of the cat-fish (Fig. 152) are very large compared 

 with buoyant eggs, and are shed in the winter months. The 

 single (fgg is about 6 mm. in breadth, or more, that is nearly 

 \ inch. Like those of the small blennies, the eggs are adhesive, 

 and are attached to one another in a large mass, which is 

 deposited on the sea-bottom in deep water. Whether the male 

 or either parent takes care of the eggs there is no evidence 

 to show : we car only consider from analogy that he probably 

 does. A mass of the eggs was received alive, and in good 



