On the Life-History of the Shanny (Blennius pholis, L.). 



By 



W. C. Mclutosli, 



Professor of Natural History in tlie University of St. Andrews, and Director of the Gotty Marine Latora- 



tory, St. Andrews, Scotland. 



With Plate XXI i. 



In the life-histories of the British Marine Food-Fishes, published 

 by Dr. Masterman and the author in 1897, it is stated that — 

 »common as this fish (the shanny) is — its egg's have not hitherto 

 received satisfactory attention, probably becanse they have been difficult 

 to procure, or have not been searched for with sufficient perseve- 

 rance«. Thereafter^ follows a resume of all that was known on the 

 subjeet at that date. Many efibrts have been made — both before 

 and since that date — even to the emptying of the pools and a careful 

 search in every crevice, yet the eggs in their native site have not 

 been obtained at St. Andrews. It was not tili June 1903 that the 

 first gravid female spawned in confinement, and then, unfortunately, 

 no ripe male was available. In 1904 ripe forms were procnred 

 from the middle of April tili June, and many eggs were deposited, 

 in glass vessels — where both sexes were congregated, yet all the 

 eggs were either unfertilised or perished shortly after deposition not- 

 withstanding the efforts to preserve them. 



The mature female of 41/2 to 5 inches has the lower edge of the 

 pectoral fin tinted in the sunlight of a bluish or whitish opalescenee. 

 The edges of the anal rays are yellowish pink, and a similar tint oc- 

 curs on the edge of the caudal fin. The body and fins generally 

 are marbled and spotted with olive on a greenish yellow ground, 

 and such tints are in harmony with the taugles and other sea- 



1 I am indebted to the Carnegie Trust for the figures illustratiüg this paper. 

 - British Marine Food-Fishes, McIntosh and Masterman. pp. 206—210. 



