THE CUCKOO GURNARD. 285 



given to it on account of the sharp spinas with which its head is armed, no less than eight 

 sharp and four rather blunt prickles being found on the head. The rays of the dorsal and 

 pectoral fins are also sharply pointed, so that it must be cautiously handled by those who 

 wish to escape wounded fingers. This is a much prettier species than the preceding fish, its 

 body beiug rich purple-brown, mottled with a warm red hue, and in the adult male there are 

 some stripes of red on the pectoral fins, and the abdomen is brightly decorated with some 

 snowy-white circular spots on glowing scarlet. Its extreme length seldom exceeds eight inches. 



Another and much more formidable species is the well-known Father Lasher, Long- 

 spined Cottus, or Lucky Proach (Coitus bubalis). In color this species is very like the sea 

 scorpion, but it may be readily distinguished from that fish by the array of long and sharply- 

 pointed spines with which its head is armed. It is a rather large species, measuring ten 

 inches in length. It is common on European coasts, and like the preceding species, may be 

 taken in the rock pools at low water. 



The Four-horned Cottus {Coitus quadricornis) may be easily known by the four bony 

 protuberances on the crown of the head. There are four spines on the prasoperculum. Its 

 general color is brown above, and grayish-white below, the sides being yellow. The lateral 

 line is marked with rough points. 



The generic name of Platycephalus, which is appropriately given to this and the other 

 fish placed in the same group, is of Greek origin, and signifies Broad-head. 



The head is of great width, but also of very considerable flatness. It is even wider in 

 proportion than that of the bull-head, but is narrower towards the snout and not so rounded. 

 The body is also flattened in front, but assumes a more cylindrical form towards the tail. 



The Armed Platycephalus is remarkable for the great length of the lower spine which 

 proceeds from the pra?oi:>erculum, and which reaches almost to the edge of the elongated oper- 

 culum. It is also very wide and strong, being, indeed, about four times as large as the spine 

 immediately above it. There are three little spines in front of the eye. Its color is brown, 

 mottled and spotted on the fins with deeper and lighter shades of the same color. 



We now come to the typical genus of this family, which is represented by several well- 

 known species. 



The Sapphirine Gurnard, so called from the fine, deep blue which tints the inner surface 

 of the pectoral fins, is of tolerably common occurrence. 



This seems to be the most valuable of nine species, being, like all the others, excellent for 

 the table, but exceeding them considerably in size. The name of Hirundo, or swallow, has been 

 given to this fish on account of the great size of the pectoral fins, which are almost as propor- 

 tionately large to the dimensions of the fish as the wings of the swallow r to the bird. Putting 

 aside the great development of these members and their rich blue color, the Sapphirine Gur- 

 nard may be distinguished from the other species by the extreme smoothness of the lateral 

 line, which may be rubbed with the finger in either direction without exhibiting the spiny 

 roughness which is found in other Gurnards. In consequence of this structure, the fishermen 

 sometimes call the fish the Smoothside Gurnard. 



All the scales of this species are very small. The large head is armed with spines, some 

 springing from just before the eye, and others from the operculum and the shoulder. 



Of several other species of Gurnard, may be mentioned the Cuckoo Gurnard (Trigla 

 pini), sometimes called the Red Gurnard from the color of its body. This is a very common 

 species, and when young may be found in the rock pools at low T water, measuring only a few 

 inches in length, but perfectly exhibiting the characters of its genus. The specific title of 

 "pinij" or belonging to the pine-tree, is given to the Cuckoo Gurnard on account of the 

 peculiar aspect of the lateral line, wdiich is crossed with numerous short, straight, narrow, and 

 elevated lines, which have been compared by some writers to the needle-shaped leaves of the 

 pine. The name of Cuckoo Gurnard is .u'iven to it, because when it is first taken out of the 

 water it emits a sound which bears a distant resemblance to the cuckoo's cry. The curious 

 soft rays which project from the base of the pectoral fin in this and other Gurnards are 



