BLENNIIDiE. 207 



anal. Ventrals short. Caudal distinct. Scales — small, present over the body. 

 Colours — reddish brown, becoming lighter beneath : a series of about eleven bands 

 of slightly darker hue, but narrower than the ground colour, descend from the 

 back to the abdominal surface. Dorsal and anal fins light coloured with a central 

 darker band along their entire extent. In some the fish is entirely of a simple 

 reddish brown, mottled all over. 



Habits. — Appears along the south-west coast to frequent deep water at rarely less 

 than from five to eight fathoms, but in the north is recorded as having been found 

 within tide marks. Mr. Peach observed of an example which he kept alive in an 

 aquarium, that it generally rested with its tail turned towards its head, the 

 posterior portion of the anal fin being laid flat outside, or almost at right angles 

 to the body, as if to support the curved part of the taU. Besides possessing 

 the power to turn the tail to either side, it appeared also to be able to elevate or 

 depress it. A young one, now in the British Museum collection, was taken in the 

 voyage of the " Porcupine " in the sea at 180 fathoms' depth between Shetland 

 and Faro. 



Means of capture.- — Has not been recorded to have taken a bait : but is 

 occasionally found in crab-pots. 



Habitat. — From the coasts of Scandinavia and Denmark to around the British 

 Isles. Orkneys and Shetland Isles, being frequent at times especially in Kirkwall 

 Bay (W. Baikie). It has been recorded from Wick, in Scotland (Peach) ; Looh 

 Broom, Ross-shire (Fleming) ; one from the Moray Firth in 1839 ; another in 

 1853 also at Peterhead (llarris) ; Banff, but rarely met with (Edward) ; 

 Aberdeen (Sim) ; Berwick (Johnston) ; Redcar, Sept. 1835 (Teale) in Yorkshire, 

 where, though resident it is extremely rare (Fauna of Yorkshire, p. 113) ; one 

 in July, 1854, at Weymouth (T. Gosse) ; also Thompson records one taken at 

 Portland, Feb. 27th, 1850, and one in Chesil Bay on April 7th the same year. 

 Although not uncommon in Cornwall, it is rare in west Cornwall, an example 

 captured at Penzance in 1878 being the first recorded (Cornish). A single example 

 has been taken at Land's End, " but it has been so frequent in other parts of 

 south Cornwall, that its rarity has arisen from the limited search I have been able 

 to make for it " (R. Couch). 



Ireland. — Two examples captured at Carrickfergus in May, 1839 ; in 1868 one 

 at Dingle Harbour, Kerry ; also seen on the coast and island of Connemara (More, 

 Zool. 1878, p. 297) ; and two in crab-pots at Portrush, co. Antrim, 1875 (Ogilby, 

 Zool. p. 4753). Yarrell alludes to it in the counties of Wicklow and Down, and 

 Thompson to its presence in Dalkey Sound. 



The example figured is 7 inches in length, and in the national collection. 

 This fish attains to at least 7i inches in length. 



