330 ANACANTHINI. 



Ammodytes tobianus, pt. Bl. t. lxxv, f. 2 ; Turton, Brit. Fauna, p. 87 ; Bonnat. 

 Atl. Ich. p. 39, pi. xxvi, f. 88 ; Cuv. Regne Anim. : Jenyns, Manual, p. 482 ; 

 Yarrell, Brit. Fish. (Ed. 1) ii, p. 317, c. fig. (Eel. 2) ii, p. 424 (Ed. 3) i, p. 89 ; Faber, 

 Fische Isl. p. 63 ; Parnell, Wern. Mem. vii, p. 390, and Fish. Firth of Forth, 

 p. 230 ; ? Miss. Skan. Fauna, iv, p. 653 ; Kroyer, Dan. Fisk. iii, p. 574, c. fig. ; 

 Thompson, Nat. Hist. Ireland, iv, p. 235 ; White, Catal. p. 114. 



Ammodytes lanceolatus, Lesauvage, Bull. So. Nat. 1825, iv, p. 262-; Gunther, 

 Catal. iv, p. 384 ; Collett, Norges Fiske, p. 126 ; Winther, Ich. Dan. Mar. p. 35 ; 

 Moreau, Poiss. France, iii, p. 217. 



Larger launce, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, iii, p. 140, pi. clvii, f. 2. 



B. vii, D. 53-58(61), P. 12-13, A. 28-31(33), C. 15, L. 1. 190-203, Ccec. pyl. 1, 

 Vert. 67. 



Length of head 4^ to 5|, of caudal fin 10£ to 12, height of body 10 to 12 in 

 the total length. Eye — situated a little before the middle of the entire length 

 of the head, 2 to 2j diameters from the end of the snout, and 1 to 2 apart. 

 Upper surface of the head nearly flat : lower jaw the longer, and having a soft 

 prolongation in front : premaxillaries not protrusible. Nostrils nearer eyes than 

 end of snout : the posterior extremity of the upper jaw does not reach to beneath 

 the eye. Teeth — absent from the jaws, tongue, and palate : the head of the vomer 

 bifurcates into two tooth-like processes which project downwards and slightly 

 outwards. Fins — dorsal low, and with an even upper edge : it commences on a 

 line a little posterior to the hind edge of the pectoral fin, which latter is short, 

 being only equal to about 3^ or 4 times in the length of the head. Caudal forked. 

 Scales — small, present over the body. Lateral-line — commences a little behind 

 the head, is continued a short distance below, but parallel with, the dorsal 

 profile, and from it 190 to 203 folds of skin pass obliquely downwards. A 

 second lateral-line runs from the lower part of the base of the pectoral fin 

 along the body to a short distance above the base of the anal fin. A straight 

 line, due to muscular insertions, passes from the head to the centre of the base of 

 the caudal fin. Colours — olive green, divided a little above the middle of the 

 depth of the body, by a broad bright band, from a silvery abdomen. Dorsal 

 and anal fins colourless : caudal with a dark base, and the central rays nearly 

 white. A black blotch on the side of the upper jaw extending on to the cheek. 



M. Lesauvage, of Caen, was the first who distinctly pointed out the distinction 

 between the greater and lesser sand-eel. 



Names. — Coast of Down, in Ireland, termed Snedden. Horners, or liom-eels, 

 Edinburgh : greater sand-eel, Yorkshire : great lant, Cornwall. At St. Ives the 

 fishermen term the adult snake-bait, and the young naked-bait : used to be termed 

 smoulds in Norfolk (Browne). Yarrell suggested that the larger sand-eel only 

 should he termed sand-eel and the lesser one sand-launce. Le la?won, French. 



Habits. — These are similar to what have been observed under the head of the 

 genus (page 329), but as a rule this form keeps in deeper water than A. tobianus, 

 while it is much more voracious ; from the stomach of the one figured, which was 

 12 inches in length, I took seven sprats from 1 to 2| inches long, and a lesser 

 sand-eel 3 inches long. This fish does not object to devour its own kind. 

 Mr. Dunn sent me one, 5 inches long, taken from the stomach of one a little 

 longer. It appears to have derived its name " horn -eel" from the sort of homy 

 tip at the end of its lower jaw, which assists it when diving down into the sand, 

 where it conceals itself during the ebb of the tide. Thompson remarks how he 

 observed a number of pigs at Newcastle, county of Down, daily frequenting the 

 sand at the extreme edge of the retiring waves, and ascertained that they were in 

 search of these fishes. It has, however, been recorded as captured at the entrance 

 of the British Channel, thirty miles from land and in forty-five fathoms of water. 

 Frequently taken from the stomachs of larger fish. 



Mode of capture. — The fishery at St. Ives, in Cornwall, commences in May and 

 lasts until September. Thompson remarked as follows : at Dundrum, on the 

 coast of Down, from the loose sand covered with water, to about the depth of 

 9 inches, the persons engaged in this occupation with great dexterity drew these 



