THE SPOTTED GUNNEL. 235 



captured off the pier-head at Leith. Their principal food 

 is small shells and young crabs; and I have also found their 

 stomachs distended with sea- weed. They spawn in the month 

 of June, and possess no swimming-bladder. They are never 

 brought to market or used as food. 



All the British species of Blennius, excepting the pre- 

 sent one, are furnished with one or more appendages placed 

 on the head in the region of the orbits. 



Genus MUKjENOIDES.— Body elongated, sword- 

 shaped, with a single dorsal fin composed of short stout rays ; 

 ventral fins placed before the pectorals, reduced nearly to 

 a single ray ; teeth on the vomer, and in two rows in each 

 jaw ; dorsal and caudal fins continuous. 



MuR^ENOIDES GUTTATA.* THE SPOTTED GuMNEL. 



Description. — From a specimen five inches in length. Body elon- 

 gated, compressed, similar to the blade of a sword in form ; head 

 small, one-ninth of the length of the body, caudal not included, and 

 about equal to the depth. Colour of the body olive, with a mixture 

 of yellow ; on each side of the dorsal fin, from twelve to thirteen 

 large dark spots, bordered by a whitish circle, placed at equal dis- 

 tances from each other down the back ; anal fin with whitish spots 

 from eleven to twelve in number, arranged similar to those of the 

 back ; pectoral and caudal fins deep orange ; irides above red, below 

 white. Dorsal fin commencing in a line over the base of the pecto- 

 rals, extending down the back to be continuous with the caudal fin, 

 to which it is connected by a membrane ; the rays of the dorsal 

 short and stout, with very sharp points, all of equal length, project- 

 ing beyond the membrane. Anal fin commencing in a line under 

 the thirty-fifth dorsal ray ; the first ray spinous, the rest soft and 

 flexible, branched at their summits ; the last ray connected to the 

 caudal fin by the intervening membrane ; the last three or four rays 

 longer than those preceding ; ventral fin very small, composed of one 

 short stout spine, very sharp, with a small ray immediately behind 



* MuiauoUks guttata, Yuri'. Bleuuius gunne/lus, Don., Pen., Jen. 

 Gunnellus vulgaris, Flem. Spotted Gunnel, Bulterfish, Stane-checker. 



n 



