G O B I U S. 



flraight, blackirti, and placed in tlic middle of the body. 

 The colour of the fms, ^vhieh is bhie, couilitutcs, according 

 to Bloch, the charaftei-ilHc dilliiiftion of tliis particidar fpc- 

 cies. Its haunts are the fandy Ihores of the fea, and its food 

 teftaceous animals, crabs, and other marine creatures. 

 Though highly prolific, it is obferved not to multiply very 

 faft, its eggs being eagerly fought after by the larger Itiiids 

 of tilhes. The flelh is indifferent, being jlifd, and meagre. 

 Eleotris. Anal fin with nine rays; tail roundilh. La- 

 gefllroem. Gobius Ch'menfis^ Ofbeck. 



Whitifh, covered with large, round, and fmooth fcales, 

 and marked on the back near the gill-covers with an ample 

 violet fpot ; both the dorfal fins of equal height, the firll 

 containing fix rays, the fecond eleven; pecloral fin twenty; 

 ventral, ten; anal, nine ; and tail ten. The Ipecics inhabits 

 China. 



Pectinirostris. Teeth in tlie lower jaw horizontal. 

 Gmel. — Lagerilr. Apocryptes Chmenfs, Ofbeck. 



A fi(h o£ fmall fize found in China: the firlt dorfal fin 

 contains five rays, the fecond twenty-fix ; pedoral, nineteen ; 

 central, twelve; anal, twenty-five ; and caudal, fifteen. 



BicoLOtt. Fufcous; all the fins black. Linn. — Briinn 

 pile. 



Length from three to four, or rarely exceeding i\f. inches, 



and inhabits the Mediterannean fea. The rays of the fins 



projeft very inconfiderably above the connefting membrane. 



CilUEXTATUS. Mouth pullulate with red; rays of the 



dorfal fins reaching above the membrane. Briinn. 



About a fpan in length, the mouth, gill-covers, chin, 

 ind fins pullulate with fanguineous red fpots; beneath the 

 cVL*s a traiifverfe membranaceous line, and two others placed 

 longitudinally before the dorfal fin; fins generally brownifh, 

 with letaceous rays ; peftoral rounded ; ventral blueifh, with 

 ;)ie ravs fplit at the end; tail pointed and fiightly banded 

 with black. Gmelin is inchnad to think this may be only a 

 variety of the fpecies .Tozo. 



Paganlli.us. Tail and fecond dorfal fin purplifli at the 

 hafe; the firft dorfal fin edged with a yellowifli line. Linn. 

 Gobius paganellus, Haffelquiil. 



Length three, four, or fix inches; the body fiightly 

 comprefTed and whitifh, with a green tinge, and marked 

 , vith blackifh dots or fmall fpots. Native of the Mediter- 

 ranean. 



ArabICUS. Five pofterior rays of the firft dorfal fin ter- 

 minating in a red filament twice the length of the membrane. 

 Forik. 



Native of Djidda in Arabia. The body is about the fize 

 of the little finger, and of a greeniih-brown coh)ur, with 

 numerous confluent violet fpots and ipecks ot blue ; fliin 

 foft and covered with minute firm fcales; fins ipotted; tail 

 cuneated. 



Nkbulo.sus. Second ray of the firft dorfal fin ending in 

 a black filament twice as long as the body. lorlk. 



Inhabits the fame fea as the former, and nearly the lame fize ; 

 body whitifb, with brown douded confluent fpots, beneath 

 white without fpots; fcales rhombic and rigid; perioral fins 

 glaucous, with obfolete brown fpots at the bafe; ventral 

 brownUb; dorfal fin and tail tranfparent, dotted with 

 brown; anal fin hyaline, with the outer edge black. 

 Plumieui. Upper jaw prominent. Bloch. 

 This, according to Plumier, inhabits the rivers ot the An- 

 tilles in great numbers, and is in much efteem lor the table, 

 its fiefh being of good flavour, and very wholelome. The 

 body is round, flelhy, above tawny, yellow on the fides and 

 white beneath ; the whole covered with fmall fcales ; head 

 large ; vent in the middle of the body ; lateral line llraight ; 

 Vol, XVI. . 



fins yellow ; pecloral and caudal yellow at the edge, with 

 branched rays ; dorfal and anal with fimple rays. 



OcEl.l.AKis. Up])cr jaw longer ; firtl dorfal fin fi x-raycJ, 

 with a i)lack occllatud fpot near the bale on the pofterior 

 part. Broufionct. 



Found in the frefh wateis of Otaheitee. The licad is ra- 

 ther comprcfTijd, fub-conic, blackifh, above fiightly curved, 

 obtufely carinated in the middle ; tectli unequal, and miiuitc, 

 thofe of the lower jaw fmaller ; body comprefTed, lance- 

 olate, covered on the pofterior part witli imbricated, ciliated 

 fcales, and obfcurely clouded with olive and black ; beneutli 

 glaucous. 



Nicer. Blackifli varird, fecond dorfal fin with about 

 fourteen rays. Artedi. Gobius itiger, Doiiov. Brit. Fifhes. 

 /tpocr\'plcs Caiilonenfis, Ofheck. Black goby . 



Native of the Liiroiiean and Afiatic ieas. Length fix 

 inches; colour blueifh black, varied. 



Bosch. Bodv and tail grey, fpeckled with brown : the 

 former marked \v ith fcven traiifverfe whitilh bands. Laccpcde. 



Defcribed and figured in the work of Lacepede, on the 

 authority of Bofc, wiio obfcrved it on the coalls of North 

 Amerieii ; it grows to the lenglii of four inches ; the head 

 is bro:uler than the body ; tlu- lirft four rays of the anterior 

 dorfal fill terminate in a filament ; and the body, which is 

 fmooth, is apparently without fcales. Tlie flefh ii never 

 eaten. 



C.'j;nL'i.EC.s. Body blue; caudal fin red, with bLck 

 border. Lacepede. 



Inhabits the teas on the eaftern coafts of Africa, where it 

 was obferved by Commerfon, who defcrilies its appearance in 

 the water, when the fun fhines, as fplendid in tlie higheft de- 

 gree, though its i\Le is finall, the total length not exceeding 

 three inches. The firft doif.il is fomewhat triangular, with 

 the rays terminating in filaments, the fecond contains four- 

 teen ravs, the filamentous appendice of the laft ray in which 

 is thrice the length of the rell. Tlie flefli is not eaten by the 

 natives, but is uicdas bait in fiihing. 



** Seftion. Petloralfns attached orphad on afejby prcceft 

 or elongation. 



Sc ill-OssERf. Blackifli-brown, beneath whitifh ; rays of 

 the fii-ft dorfal fin fpinous. Pallas. Schlojerian goby. 



Tdis is about a fp.in in length, the body, rather comprefT- 

 ed, dccreafiiig in an inconfiderable degree towards the tail, and 

 covered with large round coriaceous fcales ; the head long, 

 much thicker than the body, and fioping in front ; the mouth 

 tranfverfe ; lips thick, flefiiy, granulous within, and the upper 

 one folded ; teeth large, unequal, diftant, and irregularly 

 alternate ; palate flefhy ; tongue thick, foft, and flelhy ; 

 the eyes vertical and placed forward, protuberant, the pupils 

 turned to the fides witli a large lunate cavity beneath each ; 

 ffill-covers obk>ng and fcaly ; tail ovate-acute ; and the vent 

 m the middle of tlie body. In the firft dorfal fin are eight 

 rays, ni the fecond thirteen ; pedoral, fixteeii; ventral, twelve; 

 anal. t«el\e; and tail nineteen. The f|)eciL-!i inhabits the fiefh 

 waters in the ifiand of Aniboiiia, generally refiding in the 

 fofl nuid at the bottom, and fublifting on worms ; the 

 fleiii is excellent. Tlie fame filh occurs alfo in many parl» 

 of China. In the Gmelinian Syil. Nat. the fpecies is de-. 

 fcribed under two diftind names, fchlofll-ri and barbatus, the 

 latter of which Linnxus defines as having the pectoral fins 

 fan-fliaped, and the firll dorfal fin with twelve rays, the fe- 

 cond thirteen. Laccped.-, Bote, and other late writers agree 

 i,] confidering them the fame. 



Genus Goiio'iJfj. 

 Ventral fins uuited ; dorfal fin one ; head fmall ; gil|-co. 

 vers clui^id nearly throughout their contour. 



3 li MiL^-AStRUs. 



