198 ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



Genus II. — Blennius, Artedi. 



Ictliyocoris, Bonap. ; Pholis, Fleming ; Adonis, Gray. 



Branchiostegals six : pseudobranchice present. Body somewhat elongated and 

 compressed : snout short. Cleft of mouth narrow. A tentacle often present above 

 the orbit or on the nape. Teeth in a single row, fixed in the jaivs : a posterior, 

 curved tooth usually present in one or both jaws. Dorsal fin single, the spinous 

 portion being less, or equally developed with the soft rays. Ventrals jugular, 

 consisting of one spine and two rays. Caudal distinct. Scales absent. Air-bladder 

 and pyloric appendages absent. 



The generic name Blennius is derived from fiXevva, " mucus," which designates 

 their slimy nature. All the articulated fin rays are unbranched, except those in 

 the caudal, which are simply divided at their extremities. In some forms an 

 occipital or infraorbital crest is a distinctive mark of the male sex. 



Geographical distribution. — Blennies are found in the coasts of Europe, the 

 tropical Atlantic, the Red Sea to Sind, rare in the Indian Ocean but present in 

 Ceylon. Also in the North Pacific near the Sandwich Isles, and Van Dieman's 

 Land in the South Pacific Ocean. 



These fishes attach themselves to objects in the water: thus Sir "Walter 

 Elliot possessed a specimen pumped up on board the " Samarang," in the Bay of 

 Bengal, April 6th, 1850, which must, have attached itself to the vessel before 

 leaving harbour, or been sucked up on some piece of floating substance on which 

 it had drifted out to sea. Some species have been observed to attach themselves 

 to floating sea-weed, which they make their temporary home. Among the 

 rocks they appear to employ their pectoral and ventral fins for the purpose 

 of crawling and moving about. Blennius vulgaris has been acclimatized 

 in inland lakes of fresh water. Blennius unicornis, Castlenau (Proc. Linn. Soc. 

 New S. Wales, 1879, iii, p. 384), is found to feed on oysters, while the common 

 shanny will eat small mussels and other shells, the remains of which pass along 

 the intestinal tract. Blennies possess very powerful jaws and are able to hold 

 on by their teeth with great tenacity, as everyone practically acquainted with 

 them well knows : and it is by means of such powerful organs that they can 

 remove limpets and mussels from the rock when they require them for food. 



These fishes can see with great distinctness either when the head is out of 

 the water or else submerged : watching everything with vigilance and immediately 

 retreating into crevices of the rocks or under sea-weed when the hand or any 

 foreign object approaches them. 



The British forms are four in number, and thus subdivided : — 



A. Orbital tentacle present. 



a. First dorsal fin not elevated. 



1. Blennius gattorugine, D. 13/19-20, A. 21-22. 



2. Blennius galerita, D. 12/17, A. 18. 



b. First dorsal fin elevated. 



3. Blennius ocellaris, D. 11/15, A. 18. 



B. Orbital tentacle absent. 



4. Blennius pholis, D. 12/19, A. 19. 



1. Blennius gattorugine, Plate LIX, fig. 1. 



Gattorugine, Willughby, p. 132, c. xx, t. H 2, fig. 2 ; Ray, p. 72 ; Pennant, 

 Brit. Zool. (Ed. 1) iii, p. 207, pi. xxxv (Ed. 2) iii, p. 278, pi. xxxix. Blennius, 

 sp. 2. Artedi, Genera, p. 26 ; Klein, Pise. Miss, v, p. 32, t. vii, f. 1. 



