306 PISCES. 



They live in small troops, among rocks near the coast, swimming and leaping, and can exist for some 

 time without water. Their skin is covered with a mucous secretion, whence they have their common 

 name Blennies. Many of them are viviparous, or bring forth their young alive, fully formed, and 

 capable of subsisting by themselves. They are divided as follows : — 



Blennies, properly so called, have the teeth equal and closely set, forming- only a single and regular row in each 

 jaw, but terminating behind, in some of the species, by a longer and crooked tooth ; their head is blunt, their 

 profile vertical, and their muzzle short. Most of them have a fringed appendage over each eye, and some have 

 another on each temple. Their intestines are wide and short. The following are some of the more remarkable 

 species :— J5. ocdlaris, Ocellated Blenny, or Butterfly-fish. This has two lobes in the dorsal, the first marked with 

 around black spot surrounded by a white ring, and then a black one. It is a native of the Mediterranean, [but is 

 occasionally found in the South of England by dredging. It lives among the rocks and sea-weed, and is under- 

 stood to feed on minute Crustacea and Mollusca. It spawns in spring. It is a very small fish.] B. teniaailaris 

 has four filaments on the head, the dorsal fin even, and a black spot on the fourth and fifth rays. [It is not 

 named among the English Blennies.] B. gattonigine, has the dorsal nearly even, and only two fillets on the head. 

 [It is found on the Cornish shores, varying in length from one inch to five. The general colour is reddish-brown, 

 paler on the belly.] B. pahnicornis, has the appendage over the eye fringed, and the dorsal almost quite even, 

 the anal long, and the caudal rounded: [it is found on various parts of the British shores, and even as far north as 

 Norway. It is usually of small size, and pale brown, mottled with dark dull brown]. In some the appendages 

 over the eyes are hardly visible, but they carry a prominent membrane on the top of the head, which becomes red 

 and inflated in the pairing season. Of these there are several in the European seas. B. galerita. [Head blunt and 

 rounded, body smooth, compressed, and clammy, one long dorsal fin, ventrals before the pectorals, with only two 

 rays each, and both joined at the base. This is an insignificant species, found occasionally on the British shores, but, 

 like most of the genus, quite valueless.] B. rubiceps, has the first three rays of the dorsal elevated, with red 

 points, and the top of the head of the same colour. B. phoUs, has the head without any appendages, the dorsal 

 notched, and the pectorals rather large. [It is found on the British shores, and is remarkably tenacious of life, 

 being capable of living a good many days if kept in moist grass or moss : like the rest, it is of trifling value.] 



The following subgenera are separated from the Blennies, properly so called : — 



Myxodes, with the head lengthened, the muzzle pointed, and projected in advance of the mouth ; a single row of 

 teeth, but no large or canine ones. 



Salurias, have the teeth in a single row, placed close, hooked, but very slender and numerous. In a recent 

 specimen they yield to the touch like the keys of a musical instrument. The head is much compressed above, and 

 enlarged transversely below ; their lips are fleshy and thick ; their profile is quite vertical. Their intestines have 

 spiral convolutions, and are longer and more slender than in the Common Blenny. They are found in the Indian 

 Ocean only. 



Clinus, have short pointed teeth, dispersed in several rows ; their muzzle is less obtuse than in the former ; the 

 stomach is more ample, and the intestines shorter. There are some variations of character. 



CirrJnbarba, resembles Clinus in shape, has small curved teeth, a little filament over the eye, one in the nostril, 

 three larger ones at the end of the muzzle, and eight under the point of the lower jaw. Found in India. 



Muranljides, the Spotted Gunnel, or Butter-fish, has the ventral smaller than in any of the rest, often only a 

 single ray ; head small ; body lengthened like a sword-blade ; a low dorsal, extending the whole length of the 

 back; teeth like Clinus; and the stomach and intestine have a uniform appearance. [Found generally in the 

 European seas, even as far north as Greenland, where it is eaten. There it is said to grow to the length often 

 inches, but on the British shores it is seldom more than six. The mucous secretion of the skin is very copious.] 



Opistognathus, resembles the true Blennies in form, especially its short snout ; has large maxillaries prolonged 

 backwards to a sort of moustache ; teeth rasp-like, the external row strongest ; three rays in the ventrals, which 

 are directly under the pectorals. From the Indian Ocean. 



Zoarcus. These cannot be separated from the Blennies, though they have no spinal ray, for they have all the 

 more essential characters ; [one species, Z. viviparens, is very common on the British shores, especially the north 

 and east ; it is easily taken about the season when charlock is in flower in the corn-fields ; but it is of little value, 

 and generally disliked, because when boiled its bones turn green. It attains the length of seven or eight inches, 

 and the female brings forth her young alive. The body is heavy and lumbering, for so small a fish. Z. labrosus 

 is an American species, of an olive colour, with brown spots, and it sometimes attains the length of three feet.] 

 ' Anarrichas. [So very similar did Cuvier consider these fish to the Blennies, that he was disposed to consider 



them as Blennies without ventral fins.] Their dor^ 

 sal fin is composed entirely of simple but not stiff 

 rays, and extends, as does also the anal, very close 

 to the base of the caudal, which last, as well as the 

 pectorals, is rounded The whole body is soft and 

 slimy. Their parietal bones, vomer, and man- 

 dibles, are hard, with stout bony tubercles, sur- 

 F,u. ui.-Ai..rrichasiup<ii. mounted by small enamel teeth; but their front 



teeth are much larger and conical. This structure of the teeth gives them an armature, which, added to their large 

 size, makes them both fierce and dangerous fishes. They have six rays in the gills; stomach short and fleshy, 

 with the pyrolus near its base ; the intestines short, wide, and without coeca ; and they have no air bladder. 



