LESSER WEEVEK. 
131 
The Great Weever lives in 'water of a moderate 
depth with a sandy bottom. It buries itself in the 
sand and keeps in hiding, in order more suddenly 
to attack its prey, which consists of small fishes and 
crustaceans. The spawning-season occurs during the 
summer months, when it goes nearest shore and is 
oftenest caught. Its flesh is said to be of excellent 
flavour, but, as we have mentioned, it is generally 
thrown away by the fishermen. 
The common name of the species in Bohuslan is the 
one we have given. The same name occurs also in other 
districts, though the pronunciation is somewhat changed, 
e. g. Far sing. Fjdsing etc. In Norway, according to Asca- 
nius, it is called Kveise. (Fries, Smitt.) 
LESSER WEEVER. 
TEACHINGS VIPERA. 
Fig. 35. 
No preorbital or supraorbital spine. Anterior dorsal fin black, with 6 spinous rays. Second dorsal fin , as well 
as the anal , with about 24 rays. Cheeks naked. Greatest depth of the body about 20 or 21 % of the length. 
Fig. 35. Lesser Weever. Natural size. 
R. hr. 6; D. 6/24; A. P. 1+8 + 5; V. V 3 ; C. *+10 
+ x; L. lat. 62 ( + 4 caud). 
Syn. Boderean on Bois de Roc, Dtjham., Tr. d. Pedes , II, sect. 
VI, p. 135. tab 1, fig. 2. 
Trachinus vipera, Cuv., Val., Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. Ill, p. 
254; Kp. 0 y., Danm. Fislce, vol. I, p. 71; Nilss., Skand. 
Fn., Fisk., p. 46; Gthr, Cat. Brit. Mas., Fish., vol. II, 
p. 236; Steind., Stzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, Math. Naturw. 
Cl., LVI (1867) 1, p. 697; Day, Fish. G:t Brit., Irel., 
vol. I, p. 81, tab. XXXI; Lillj., Sv., Norg. Fislcar, vol. 
I, p. 89. 
Among the older collections of the Royal Museum 
from the time previous to 1839, is a jar labelled “Tra- 
chinus draco, Farsing, — Suecia — ,” but containing, 
in addition to a specimen of the Great Weever, the 
Lesser Weever which tve have figured here (fig. 35). 
The reasons for the inclusion of this species in the 
Scandinavian Fauna which have been given by Krgyer, 
Nilsson and Lilljeborg, thus find a further support. 
With this exception the Lesser Weever has not been 
observed on the coasts of Scandinavia. In Eng- 
land and France and in the Mediterranean, on the 
other hand, it is as common as the preceding species, 
if not more so, and is all the more feared as its small 
size — it is said never to exceed 135 mm. in length 
— renders it less easy to distinguish, when it is caught 
with other fishes. Its colouring, too, is duller: the back 
is yellowish gray, the sides silvery and the belly yellow; 
but the scales are punctated with brown dots, which 
are collected into a row of spots below the lateral line. 
The top of the head is marked with spots formed of 
black dots. Instead of describing it we shall give in 
the following table a comparison between the specimen 
of the Lesser Weever which belongs to the Royal Mu- 
seum, and 7 specimens of the preceding species. 
