256 



LABROIDES 



York market, swimming at the moment of sale, 

 must be particularly interesting. 



As it respects color, the tautog, though denom- 

 inated black, is in reality, a dusky, smoky brown, 

 only really black on the back. The lips, lower 

 jaw and abdomen, are of a dingy white ; the mouth 

 is small, and the lips thick, retractile, and expos- 

 ing the front teeth, which project from the upper 

 jaw; the two middle ones are large, but the re- 

 maining, as they run back, are graduated in size, 

 becoming quite small. The tongue is white, pret- 

 ty smooth, and closely embedded between the 



THE TAUTOG. 



bones of the jaw ; the tail is entire, the middle 

 ray being strong and stiff; gill cover smooth, with- 

 out scales, and not serrated on the margin. Deep 

 in the fauces is a cluster of broad teeth, for the 

 obvious purpose of crushing shells ; the back is 

 considerably arched, and the belly prominent. 

 There are in the dorsal fin seventeen naked 



