EN^^LISH FISHES, 



447 



Blennius Gattoriigine. 



It appears extraordinary, that this fish should 

 be by some naturalists described to have the an- 

 terior rays of the dorsal fin spinous, Gmelin says 

 sixteen rays ; but as other authors are silent on 

 the subject, I presume it is a mistake. None of 

 the genus I have examined, possess any spiny rays 

 in the dorsal fin, but generally terminate with a 

 shining membrane. 



There is a strong character which belongs to 

 several Blennii, that does not appear to have been 

 generally attended ta, and which seems well cal- 

 culated to form a generic character, and might 

 with propriety be used to separate them from the 

 rest. This is a loose membrane or foliation of 

 the skin, which passes under the throat from the 

 opercula of the gills, enveloping the branchioste- 

 gous rays. This is equally evident in the Ocel- 

 kris, Cristatus, and Pholis, as well as in the Gat- 

 torugine. 



This, like the three species just mentioned, has 

 a flexure in the dorsal fin : the first and thirteenth 

 ray are by far the shortest ; the fourteenth exceeds 

 the preceding by nearly one-half : the following 

 increase in length, except the few posterior ones ; 

 the superior breadth of this part of the fin, and 

 the indenture in the middle, gives an appearance 



