26 PERCID^E. 



much judgment as a fighting-cock. Montagu says, " Whe- 

 ther the supposed venomous quality of the sharp spines is 

 justly founded, is difficult to determine ; but it appears to be 

 a fact, that the wounds inflicted by these offensive weapons 

 usually exhibit symptoms of great inflammation and pain, 

 and which has given rise to the vulgar name of Sting -fish. 

 It is caught sometimes in the shore-nets, or seine, about 

 Teignmouth and Torcross, but rarely exceeding five or six 

 inches in length." This small species appears to have been 

 much less perfectly known than the Greater Weever : neither 

 Bloch nor Lacepede make any mention of it, and other 

 writers have included in their descriptions of a single species 

 some of the peculiarities of both. Pennant, in the octavo 

 edition of his British Zoology, dated 1776, says this small 

 one "grows to the length of twelve inches ;" and this state- 

 ment appears to have misled Dr. Turton, Mr. Donovan, and 

 Dr. Fleming, who have each assigned to it a length of ten or 

 twelve inches. From the examination of many specimens, it 

 is more probable that it very seldom exceeds five inches. 



D. 5 or 6 — 24 : P. 15 : V. 1-1-5 : A. 1 -|- 24 : C 11. 



Cheeks devoid of scales ; mouth placed more vertical ; teeth 

 stronger in proportion to its size, but less numerous ; and the 

 obliquity of the lines on the side less apparent, — are other 

 specific distinctions. The back is reddish grey ; lower part 

 of the sides and the belly silvery white ; membrane of the 

 first dorsal fin black ; caudal fin tipped with black, the other 

 fins pale brown. The Lesser Weever spawns in spring, the 

 Greater Weever spawns in summer : neither species possess 

 any swimming bladder. 



