188 FISHES OF THE FIRTH OF FORTH. 



itself by crawling a far way underneath ; it takes the bait 

 eagerly, and a number are taken off the pier-head at Leith 

 with hooks baited with muscle. In the stomachs of many 

 I found small shells and the remains of star-fish. 



Genus ASPIDOPHORUS.— Dorsal fins two; body 

 covered with scaly plates; vomer and palatines without teeth. 



AspinopHORiis europ.eus.* — The Ahmed Bullhead. 



Specific Characters. — Chin with thread-like filaments ; vent under 

 the middle of the pectorals. 



Description. — From a specimen four inches in length. Body an- 

 gular, tapering to the tail; covered with a number of hard scaly 

 plates ; head depressed ; dorsal, pectoral, and caudal fins rounded ; 

 the body behind the pectorals hexagonal ; from the termination of 

 the pectorals to the end of the second dorsal octagonal ; from thence 

 to the tail hexagonal. Colour of the head, back, dorsal, and caudal 

 fins, light brown ; belly and anal fin white ; pectorals slightly mot- 

 tled with brown ; body with three, or sometimes more, broad, trans- 

 verse dark bands. Lateral line commencing over the base of the pec- 

 torals, making a slight bend to the end of the pectoral rays, thence 

 straight to the tail, composed of a series of small elevated dots, placed 

 a little apart from each other. Operculum rounded, entire, without 

 spines ; preoperculum with a stout curved spine on its lower mar- 

 gin, extending back nearly to the posterior border of the operculum. 

 A little before this is another spine, much smaller, pointing outwards 

 and upwards ; infra-orbitals with three or four small tubercles on the 

 inferior margin; snout with four strong erect spines, two on each side ; 

 eyes moderate, placed nearer the point of the nose than to the pos- 

 terior margin of the operculum ; from the posterior border of the or- 

 bit extends an elevated bony ridge, which terminates at the nape ; 

 jaws furnished with a number of small fine teeth, but none on the 

 vomer or palatines ; under jaw the shortest. First dorsal fin com- 

 mencing over the middle of the pectorals, and ending a very little 

 beyond them ;t second dorsal fin commencing close behind the first, 



* Aspidophorus Europceus, Cuv., Yar., Jen. Cottus cataphr -actus, Linn., 

 Pen., Don. Cataphractus Schoneveldii, Flem. Armed Bullhead, Pogge, 

 Lyre, Sea-poacher, Pluck, Noble, Shell-backed Bullhead, Scotland. 



+ The position of the dorsal fins is liable to vary a little according to the 

 size of the fish; in a specimen six inches in length the first dorsal fin com. 

 mences over the lower third of the pectorals. 



