Fishes. 



top of the tluimb b\- a lesser weever, which had just been taken 

 in a seine wth hernngs and sand-eels, the question was reopened, 

 and investigations proved the popular belief to be correct. 

 The sting is very piainful, of a burning character, accompanied 

 by swelling, sometimes by fever, delirium, and bilious vomiting ; 

 the effects may last for several days, and result in gangrene. 

 A case is lmo^\'n of a sailor being incapacitated from work for 

 manv weeks through such an accident. 



The opercular and dorsal spines bear two deep grooves, 

 m which distinct glands are present to secrete the poisonous 

 fluid : these poison-glands had escaped the attention of the 

 earlier in\'estigators, who had sought for them, not under the 

 integument ^\■hich covers the spines, but at their base. 



The name Weever is probably derived from the Anglo-Saxon 

 " Wivere " (serpent), like the heraldic dragon or Wivern. Two 

 species are found on our coasts, the Greater Weever (2". draco) 

 and the Lesser (7". vipera). The former grows to a length of 

 eighteen inches, and has a small spine above the eye ; the latter 

 does not exceed eight inches, and lacks the said spine. In both 

 the ej'es are directed upwards, and the first dorsal fin is black 

 in front, or entireh' black, and is regarded as a danger-signal 

 when erected (warning coloration) . 



The Rocklings [Onus or Motclla) are members of the Cod 

 family ; young specimens are of common occurrence in tide 

 pools. They are easily distinguished from all other fishes 

 of our coasts in having three or fi\-e feelers or barbels, two 

 or four on the snout and one on the chin ; they have two dorsal 

 fins, the first feebly developed and Ipng in a groove, the second 

 N'ery long (Fig. 6). The two species, the Three-bearded Rockling 

 (0. tricirratus) and the Five-bearded [0. musiela), can be identified 

 by the number of barbels, as their names imph'. The former 

 grows to a length of eighteen inches, the latter rarelj- exceeds 

 ten inches. They are mostly found among zostera and fucus. 

 The eggs are buoyant, like those of the Dragonets and 

 Weevers. 



The Blenmes [Blennitis) are the commonest denizens of the 

 rock-pools (Figs. 6, 7). The four best known are the Shanny [B. 

 pholts), without appendages on the head ; Montagu's Blenny {B. 

 galerita), with a fringed crest on the middle of the head between 

 the eyes, followed by a fringe of hair-like filaments ; the Tompot 

 [B. gattonigine) , with a fringed appendage above each ej-e, 

 not much longer than the latter ; and the Butterfly Blenny 

 (B. ocellaris), with a longer fringed appendage above the eye, 

 the anterior raA's of the dorsal fin much longer than the others, 



