BLENNIID^. 209 



OpMsomus gunnellus, Swains. Fish, ii, p. 277. 



Fholis gunnellus, Gronov. ed. Gray, p. 99. 



Gunnellus ingens, Storer, Boston Journ. Nat. Hist. 1850, vi, p. 261, pl.viii, f. 1. 



Butter- fish. Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, ii, p, 236, pi. cxv. 



B. vi, D. 75-82, P. 11-12, V. 1/1-2, A. ^?^, 0. 15, Vert. 84-86. 

 Length of head 7i to Q\, of caudal fin l^, height of body 7a to 9^ in the 

 total length. Eye — near the upper profile, diameter 6 in the length of the head, 

 1 diameter from the end of the snout, and 3/4 of a diameter apart. Snout short. 

 Cleft of mouth oblique, commencing superiorly opposite to the upper edge of the 

 eye : the posterior extremity of the maxilla reaches to beneath the front edge 

 of the orbit. Nostrils simple. Teeth — in the jaws in a single row of conical ones 

 placed a slight distance apart. None on the palate or tongue. Fins — the dorsal, 

 which is low, consists of moderately strong spines with an interspinous membrane, 

 it commences above the hind edge of the opercle, and is continued to the base of 

 the caudal where it is connected to the latter fin by a low membrane. Pectoral 

 inserted a httle behind the head and in the lower half of the depth of the body. 

 Ventral situated beneath the base of the pectoral : its spine rather strong. Anal 

 low, it commence sbeneath the middle of the dorsal, and consists of two short spines 

 and the rest branched rays. It is connected with the caudal similarly to the 

 dorsal: caudal rounded. Scales — minute, covering the body, but none on the 

 head. Skin very slimy, due to the large amount of mucous which is secreted. 

 Colours — when first captured yellow, becoming gray shortly after death. A 

 single row of from nine to thirteen round black ocelli, encircled with a white ring, 

 are present on the upper surface of the back, extending on to the base of the dorsal 

 fin, or they may be restricted to either of those situations. A dark brown band 

 descends from the eye to behind the angle of the mouth. The body is irregularly 

 banded, the bands descending from the back to the abdomen. As age advances 

 they become more broken up and appear as reticulations. These bands are 

 continued upwards on to the dorsal fin and descend on to the anal. The caudal 

 yellow, with or without two vertical bands. 



Varieties. — Those of colour are not uncommon, but the black spots are usually 

 as numerous in the young as they are in the adults. Lowe mentions one which 

 only had one spot at the beginning of the back fin, but not otherwise differing 

 from the normal form. 



Gill, in the Proceedings of the Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1864, p. 200, has, in an 

 exhaustive paper, given reasons for considering Ophidium imherhe, Linn. Montagu, 

 Wem. Mem. i, p. 95, pi. iv, f. 2 ; Turton, p. 88 ; Fleming, p. 201 ; Jenyns, 

 p. 481 ; Yarrell (Ed. 1) ii, p. 314 (Ed. 2) ii, p. 412. OepolopUs Montagui, Kaup, 

 Wieg. Arch. 1856, p. 97. Oymnelis imierhis, Kaup, Apod. p. 156 ; Yarrell 

 (Ed. 3) i, p. 79 ; Giinther, Catal. iv, p. 325 ; and Ophidium eel, Couch, iv, p. 333, 

 to be the young of this species. The number of rays iu the two are similar, &c. 

 Whereas Pennant's Beardless ophiddum seems to be very closely allied to, if not 

 similar with, the common eel. 



Names. — Owing to its body being compressed, it is termed the SwordicJc or 

 Sword-fish in Orkney. Stane-oheeher, Scotland. Butter-fish, from its soft and 

 unctuous feel ; and Nine-eyes, Cornwall, from its markings. Traditionally said 

 to have derived its designation gunnel, owing to Ray's having shown one to a 

 fisherman, and inquiring its name was answered that " it looked very much like a 

 gunnel " — meaning the gunwale of a small boat ; he however supposing this to 

 be the local term, recorded it. Oonnelle vulgaire, or locally at Poitou Papillon de 

 mer, French. , _ 



Habits. — This marine fish is found chiefly between tide marks, especially in 

 oozy ground, sheltering either singly or in larger numbers under sea- weed (Fuci) 

 hanging over rocks, and especially if the ground be gravelly or shingly; it 

 may also be taken under stones left dry by a receding tide. It wriggles rapidly 

 away, while, due to its slimy nature, it is diflScult to hold, and in the 

 water swims with considerable speed. It lives some time (even two or 

 three days) after removal from the sea, being very tenacious of life. At 

 St Andrew's, Mcintosh found that its food " includes Hippolyte, sessile-eyed 



14 



