Animal Life by the Sea-shore. 



The eggs are pelagic, that is to say, float at random in the 

 sea, and Callionymus is the only exception known to the rule 

 for fishes laying such eggs to show no marked differences in 

 form or colour accordnig to the sexes. 



With the Weevers {Trachinus), which are somewhat related 

 to the Dragonet (Fig. 5), we have to deal with very dangerous 

 fishes, provided with poison organs at the base of the spines 

 whdch arm their gill-covers and form the anterior dorsal fin. 

 Partly buried in the sand in low water, they are often trodden 

 upon by people bathing, with serious results. 



From the days of the earliest naturalists, poisonous proper- 

 ties have been attributed to the stings inflicted by these fishes. 



^§S^\i^=v— 



riG. 5. DR.-VGONET (feMALE) ;\ND GRE.MER WEEVER. 



" Aculeos in branchiis habet ad caudam spectantes sic ut 

 Scorpio Iffidit dum manu toUitur," says Pliny. And this view 

 has always been shared by fishermen, who are in great fear of 

 being pricked by the weevers when emptying their nets. At 

 some time, however, in the early part of last century, there was 

 a general tendencjf among scientific naturalists to regard this 

 belief as one of many vulgar errors which were gradually being 

 swept away in the light of careful investigation, and no less 

 an authority than the great Cuvier denied the possibilitj' of 

 weevers inflicting poisoned woimds, his disbelief being based 

 on his inability to detect any gland or duct by which poison 

 Could be secreted and conveyed. However, when in August, 

 183C), the late Professor G, J. Allman was wounded near the 



