460 PETROMYZID^. 



It was formerly considered to be a Lamprey, and was 

 called Petromyzon obcus by Ray, on account of its very 

 small eyes : it afterwards had tlie trivial name of hranchialis 

 bestowed upon it by Linnaeus, from a notion that it attached 

 itself to the gills of fishes. It is said to be common about 

 Oxford, and was called by Dr. Plot, in his History of Ox- 

 fordshire, the Pride of the Isis ; Prid being an ancient dimi- 

 nutive for Lamprey. It is very common in the Thames about 

 Hampton, where it is called Sandpride. Mr. Jesse says the 

 Eel is one of its greatest enemies, and feeds greedily upon 

 it. I have received it from Hertfordshire, and some other 

 inland counties. It spawns at the end of April or the begin- 

 ning of May, and feeds upon worms, insects, and dead or 

 even putrid animal matter, 



Mr. Couch says, " I find this species frequents our smaller 

 streams in Cornwall, living in the muddy bottom, from which 

 it rarely, if ever, willingly emerges. I have kept it for 

 months in stagnant water, with mud at the bottom, without 

 injury to its health or activity. The only apparent use of 

 its fins is to enable it to regain its station, when forced from 

 it by violent torrents. When kept in clear water it seems to 

 sleep much. I have never found this species to attach itself 

 to any object by the mouth ; but the lips are capable of 

 extensive and complicated motions. Our fishermen collect 

 them to use as bait for their hooks when whiffing for Pol- 

 lacks." 



The upper lip and the mouth in this species, as shown in 

 the enlarged representation of the lower surface of the head 

 under the figure of the whole fish, is in the form of a horse- 

 shoe; the inner part furnished with numerous short and 

 slender membranous cirri ; " the lingual and palatine plates 

 somewhat harder than the other portion, but no true teeth :" 

 on the top of the forehead is a small orifice and canal, which 



