Fishes. n 



the adult growing to a length of twentj' inches. Like the pre- 

 ceding, the Gunnel or Butterfish {Pliolis gunellus), represented 

 on Fig. 6, is of elongate shape, and the orange or pale brown 

 body is compressed and bears a series of ten to thirteen black, 

 white-edged ocellar spots along the base of the dorsal fin. 

 The young have the dorsal and anal fins barred with black. 

 Eight inches is the greatest length reached by this fish, which is 

 quite common under stones, among fucus. The wliite eggs form 

 an oval ball, about the size of a large nut, and are laid in January 

 or February ; the female protects them by coiling herself round 

 the ball, and in this the male occasionally assists, the two 

 parents sometimes taking up the duty in turns. 



The Gobies [Gobius) are small or very small fishes with 

 the ventrals united into one, without, however, forming so 

 efficient a sucker as in the genera mentioned hereafter (Fig. 8). 

 Several species occur on our shores. The commonest are the 

 Sand Gobies (G. minuUis and G. inicrops), sand-coloured creatures, 

 only two or three inches long, darting away in sand-pools ; 

 the equall}' small Spotted Goby [G. riithensparri), varying in 

 colour from yellowish brown to almost green, with large pale 

 spots on the back and a black blotch at the base of the caudal 

 fin, found among weeds ; the Rock Goby (G. paganellus) , growing 

 to nearly five inches, grejdsh or yellowish brown to dark purplish 

 brown, with a yellow or whitish band along the top of the first 

 dorsal fin, common in rock-pools ; and the so-called Black Goby 

 (G. niger), sinrilar to the preceding in size and coloration, but 

 without the light band on the dorsal fin, and found mostly 

 in estuaries. The Giant Goby (G. capita), attaining a length 

 of ten inches, with the ej'es wide apart, is not uncommon on the 

 North Coast of Brittany, and occurs locally between Polperro 

 and Falmouth, in oyster ponds and rock-pools, often in places 

 reached only by spring tides. In this genus, the male, often 

 more brilliantly coloured than the female, and distinguished 

 by a long and pointed anal papilla, mounts guard over the eggs, 

 which are fixed in single layers to the under surface of stones 

 or weeds, or in a sort of nest built and kept in constant repair 

 by him. The nest of the Sand Gobies is usually made of the 

 shell of a limpet or a bivalve, or of the empty carapace of a crab, 

 with the convexity turned upwards and covered with sand ; 

 the sand underneath is hollowed out and a round opening at 

 the side, coated with a mucus secreted by the skin of the male 

 fish, gives access to the interior ; the eggs, which are elongate 

 and pyriform, are stuck to the inner surface of the roof. The 

 breeding season lasts throughout spring and summer. 



