﻿226 
  

  

  THE 
  VEKTEBRATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  Lepadogaster 
  bimaculatus, 
  Flem, 
  Double-spotted 
  Sucker. 
  

  

  "A 
  specimen 
  was 
  lately 
  discovered 
  by 
  the 
  Rev. 
  James 
  

   Weir, 
  of 
  Lossiemouth." 
  (Gordon.) 
  "Included 
  in 
  Howden's 
  

   catalogue, 
  but 
  no 
  locality 
  given. 
  Brought 
  on 
  shore 
  now 
  and 
  

   then." 
  (Edward.) 
  "Occasionally 
  in 
  the 
  laminarine 
  region 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  cod 
  and 
  haddock." 
  (M'Intosh.) 
  

   Occasionally 
  brought 
  in 
  by 
  trawlers 
  at 
  Aberdeen. 
  

  

  Family 
  BLENNIID2E, 
  Swainson. 
  

   Genus 
  ANARRHICHAS, 
  Artedi. 
  

   Anarrhichas 
  lupus, 
  Linn. 
  Wolf 
  Fish. 
  Cat 
  Fish. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  commonest 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  along 
  the 
  north-east 
  

   coast; 
  caught 
  in 
  large 
  numbers 
  by 
  trawl. 
  Its 
  colour 
  and 
  

   general 
  appearance 
  are 
  such 
  as 
  cause 
  most 
  people 
  to 
  look 
  upon 
  

   it 
  with 
  dislike 
  and 
  even 
  loathing 
  ; 
  indeed, 
  till 
  recently, 
  it 
  was 
  

   consigned 
  to 
  the 
  manure 
  manufacturer. 
  I 
  can, 
  however, 
  assert 
  

   that 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  fish 
  that 
  can 
  compare 
  with 
  the 
  Cat 
  Fish 
  

   as 
  an 
  article 
  of 
  food 
  ; 
  I 
  find 
  it 
  really 
  excellent. 
  

  

  An 
  excellent 
  figure 
  and 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  so 
  - 
  called 
  

   Anarrhichas 
  minor 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  The 
  Annals 
  of 
  Scottish 
  Natural 
  

   History, 
  vol. 
  i., 
  pp. 
  26, 
  27. 
  The 
  specimen 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   figure, 
  etc., 
  were 
  drawn 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  caught 
  " 
  by 
  trawl 
  

   off 
  Aberdeen 
  on 
  or 
  about 
  the 
  17th 
  October 
  last" 
  (1891); 
  but 
  

   as 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  this 
  and 
  other 
  spotted 
  specimens 
  were 
  

   brought 
  from 
  Iceland. 
  On 
  October 
  19th, 
  1899, 
  sixty 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  were 
  landed 
  at 
  Aberdeen 
  Market, 
  all 
  caught 
  round 
  

   Iceland. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  points 
  of 
  difference 
  between 
  this 
  form 
  and 
  A. 
  

   lupus 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  dark 
  conspicuous 
  spots 
  profusely 
  spread 
  

   over 
  the 
  body, 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  the 
  transverse 
  bands 
  character- 
  

   istic 
  of 
  A. 
  lupus, 
  and 
  a 
  supposed 
  general 
  lessening 
  of 
  the 
  teeth 
  

   as 
  compared 
  with 
  the 
  latter. 
  Whether 
  this 
  be 
  a 
  good 
  species 
  

   or 
  merely 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  A. 
  lupus 
  has 
  still 
  to 
  be 
  determined, 
  

   although 
  it 
  is 
  looked 
  upon 
  by 
  various 
  authors 
  as 
  distinct. 
  If 
  

   such 
  be 
  so, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  several 
  others 
  may 
  be 
  looked 
  

   upon 
  as 
  good 
  species 
  and 
  with 
  equally 
  good 
  reason. 
  As 
  an 
  

   example, 
  there 
  is 
  Anarrhichas 
  lupus-non-maculatus 
  of 
  Muller, 
  a 
  

   specimen 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  obtained 
  at 
  Aberdeen. 
  This 
  variety 
  is 
  

  

  