THE FAMILY OF THE GOBID^. 81 



of the spinal rays — the grand distinction of this tribe — 

 will always prevent the gobies from being confounded 

 with any other spiniferous group. Several species are 

 found on our own coasts, and they are excessively abun- 

 dant in the Mediterranean, living, like the gobies, in 

 shallow and quiet inlets or harbours, among sea- weeds. 

 They are said by Olivi, a Venetian naturalist, to exca- 

 vate burrows in the mud or clay at the bottoms, where 

 they pass the winter. In spring, they construct a nest 

 in some spot abounding with sea-weed, which they 

 afterwards cover Avith the roots of the Zostera. Here 

 the males remain, and await the females, who succes- 

 sively arrive to deposit their eggs : these, after fecunda- 

 tion, are taken care of by the males, who exhibit much 

 care and courage in preserving and defending them. 

 M. Cuvier is of opinion, that the goby, in fact, is the 

 Physis of the ancients, which, as Aristotle remarks, is 

 the only fish that constructs a nest. Nearly all the 

 usual variations of form, corresponding to the primary 

 types among fishes in general, will be found in this 

 family. Periopthalmus C, an Indian group, gives us 

 the small vertical eyes of the chironectiform type. 

 TdBfiisoma Nob. is s. representative of Cepola, and the 

 riband-fish ; Eleotris has the ventrals disunited, and 

 thus makes the nearest approach to the BlennidcB ; while 

 Comephorus, by being destitute altogether of ventrals, 

 shows us the apodal or anguilliform type. The Gohince, 

 as already intimated, stand at the head of this family : 

 the other chief group being represented by the genus 

 Callionymus, or dragonets : here the ventral fins are 

 even larger than in the gobies, for they exceed the pec- 

 torals, but although close together they are not united : 

 they are also small fishes, often of very beautiful 

 colours, but slimy and unpalatable. Their whole shape 

 and aspect is so very like that of the TriglidcB, or gur- 

 nards, that we can be at no loss to determine their ana- 

 logical relations : like them also, and several of the 

 gobies, the branchial aperture is reduced to a spiracu- 

 lated orifice, similar to that of the Apodes, which this 



VOL. II. G 



