BURBOT. 155 



great plenty. In its habit or general appearance 

 the Burbot makes an obscure approach to the 

 Muraena, having a remarkably lengthened body of 

 a subcylindric shape : the head is broad and flat- 

 tened ; the eyes small and lateral, with blue pupils 

 and yellow irides : the mouth wide ; the jaws armed 

 with several rows of sharp teeth : the lower jaw is 

 furnished with a beard of considerable length, and 

 two small cirri are seated on the top of the nose, at 

 some distance from the eyes : the tongue is broad : 

 the colour of the Burbot, which, like all others, 

 varies as to its particular shades at different seasons 

 and in different individuals, is a dull or brownish 

 yellow, approaching to whiteness on the abdomen, 

 and to, olivaceous on the back and fins ; while the 

 whole is variegated with numerous and irregularly 

 formed spots and patches of different sizes and of a 

 blackish colour : in some the ground-colour is 

 greenish, and in others rather brown than yellow : 

 the skin is remarkably smooth, and mucous or 

 slippery like that of an eel, and is covered with ex- 

 tremely small scales: the first dorsal fin is small, 

 and situated near the middle of the back ; the second 

 commences at a small distance beyond this, and is 

 continued as far as the tail, which is rather short, 

 and of a rounded form : the anal fin is of similar 

 length with the dorsal, and like that is continued 

 as far as the beginning of the tail : the pectoral fins 

 are small and rounded ; the ventral narrow and of 

 a sharper form. 



The Burbot is constdered as a very voracious fish, 

 preying on all the smaller fishes, as well as on frogs, 



