PISCES. 223 
the lateral line extends to the tail only as a light furrow. PI. 84, fig. 5, 
represents one of the European species of fresh water Cottus, known as the 
bullhead, miller’s-thumb, chabot, &c. The salt water species are termed, 
provincially, sculpins or bull-heads. Aspidophorus has the body octagonal, 
and covered with scaly plates ; snout with recurved spines ; no teeth in the 
vomer ; two dorsal fins. A. cataphractus (pl. 82, fig. 1) is found both in 
Europe and America. The genus Scorpena resembles Cottus, but has a 
compressed head, an undivided dorsal, and palatine teeth; as also cutaneous 
filaments in various parts of the body. S. scropha is represented in pl. 83, 
fig. 5. Somewhat allied to Scorpena is the genus Synanceia, a species of 
which, S. horrida, is shown in pil. 82, fig. 9. It is from the Indian seas. 
The genus Sebastes has some resemblance to the perch, but differs in the 
spined operculum and preoperculum. All parts of the head are covered 
with scales; branchiostegous rays seven; teeth on the jaws, vomer, and 
the palatines. Sebastes norvegius, Norway haddock, snapper, or rose fish, 
is a highly beautiful fish, of a reddish color, and is taken in deep water, 
off the coast of New England and further north. The genus G&sterosieus, 
or stickleback, closes the series of those Triglide which we have room to 
mention here. They havea body without scales, but variously armed with 
plates on the sides and back. A variable number of the anterior dorsal 
rays occur as separated spines. Ventral fins represented by a single spine. 
Branchiostegous rays three. The species of this genus are mostly of small 
size, and inhabitants of brackish water; yet some species occur in perfectly 
fresh water. They are highly quarrelsome, active little fish; and one 
European species, at least, is remarkable for constructing a regular nest of 
grass. The male performs this labor of love, and forces females successively 
into the nest, there to deposit their spawn, which he immediately fecundates. 
The nest and its contents are watched with the most jealous vigilance by 
the male stickleback, who exercises a careful guardianship over the young 
after they are hatched. Other species of Gasterosteus will probably be 
found to possess the same habit, shared also by some other genera, at least 
by Callichthys of South America. PI. 82, fig. 6, represents the common 
European species, Gasterosteus aculeatus. : 
The third family, Scranipa, exhibits a close parallelism with the Percoide. 
The vomer and palatines are, however, destitute of teeth, and the head is 
generally enlarged by cavernous swellings. The ventral fins are sometimes 
scaled. 
The first genus with an American representative is Otolithus, charac- 
terized by the two dorsals, the weak anal, the absence of barbels, and the 
two or three highly developed front teeth. The principal species is 
O. regalis, or weak fish, abundant on the whole Atlantic coast. It is called 
salt water trout, or simply trout on the southern coast. Another species is 
called salmon trout. When caught in the latter part of the summer, and 
eaten within a few hours after its capture, it is, perhaps, superior in 
delicacy of flavor to any salt water American species, excepting the far- 
famed sheepshead, and scarcely inferior even to this most delightful of 
fish. Corvina differs in the strong second anal spine and the perfectly 
427 
