BLACK GOBY. 
247 
generally the former number; the middle rays are the 
longest. The ventral tins, which are inserted below the 
pectoral, are united into a cucullate (cornet-like) shape, 
and with this exception normal, each containing one 
simple ray and live rays branched to the base. The 
anal fin, which begins at a distance from the tip of 
the snout equal to from 46 to 49 V 2 % of the length 
of the body, and the base of which measures from 17 
to 20 % of the length of the body, is of the same shape 
as the second dorsal tin, and contains 12 or 13 rays, 
generally the former number, the first ray being simple, 
and the others branched at the tip, with the exception 
of the last, which is branched to the very base, at least 
when there are only 12 rays. The caudal tin contains 
14 or 15 branched rays, generally the latter number; 
but one or, in most cases two, those at the extreme 
margin of the tin, are so short that they are most cor- 
rectly regarded as branched supporting rays. The length 
of the middle rays of this tin, in young specimens, is 
about 19 %, sometimes nearly 20 %, of the length of 
the body, in old about 1 6 %. 
The upper part of the body is greenish black, with 
darker, broad, transverse spots on the sides. Along the 
middle of the sides there are a few, scattered, black 
spots. Occiput grayish brown; cheeks, snout and fore- 
head black. Belly grayish white. Anterior dorsal tin 
yellowish gray, with darker, wavy, transverse streaks; 
pectoral fins grayish brown. Posterior dorsal and anal 
tins greenish black, with darker margin, and the former 
marked with black spots, arranged in rows. Caudal tin 
dark grayish brown. Ventral tins yellowish white, but 
often, in the males, with black streaks or dots along 
the rays. Young specimens are always lighter in colour 
than old ones. The colour also changes quickly after 
the fish has been drawn out of the water, and then 
acquires a reddish tint. 
The liver is yellow, and so large that it fills about 
s / 5 of the left side of the abdominal cavity. It is also 
almost undivided, only having two incisions in the right 
margin. The gall-bladder is small and white. The 
digestive canal is about 1 f 6 longer than the body, and 
fairly wide throughout its length; anteriorly it is some- 
what widened to form the stomach. It forms two bends, 
one at the end of the abdominal cavity and another 
a Cuv., Val., Hist. Nat. Poiss., vol. XII, p. 19. 
6 Stzber. Akad. Wiss. Wien, LVII (1868), I, p. 413. 
c Arch. Zool., Anal. Fis., Genova 1861, vol. I, p. 135. 
d Brit,. Mar. Freshw. Fish., Handb. Gt. Intern. Fish. Exhib. I 
e See above, p. 242. 
just behind the stomach, where the small spleen is also 
situated. The air-bladder is clear and almost round; 
the urinary bladder long and narrow. The testes and 
ovaries are described above. The spinal column is com- 
posed of 28 vertebrae, 1 1 of which belong to the ab- 
dominal region. 
In Scandinavia, in places of a suitable nature, the 
Black Goby is a fairly common fish, both on the west 
coast and in the Baltic, where, however, it becomes 
o 
rarer northwards, only seldom occurring in Alands Haf 
and the Gulf of Finland. Where the coast is sandy, 
however, and the vegetation scanty, it does not thrive. 
It is thus wanting, or at least rare, on the south 
and east coasts of Scania and the south coast of Hal- 
land. It apparently prefers water of a moderate depth, 
where the bottom is stony; and at spots of this nature 
it is common during the summer-months, but at the 
approach of winter it retires into deep water, though 
even at this season it is sometimes taken by tackle set 
for other fishes. On the coast of Norway its range ex- 
tends at least as far north as Trondhjem Fjord. In the 
Orkneys, Great Britain and Ireland, and in the Channel, 
it is common; but whether it occurs farther south, is 
still an open question. According to Valenciennes" 
and Steindacliner 6 it does not occur in the Mediter- 
ranean, but according to Canestrini' and Moreau (1. c.) 
it is even common there. These contradictory state- 
ments are due to the want of certainty in the deter- 
mination of the species within this genus. 
The Black Goby is apparently of sluggish tempera- 
ment, and its movements in the water are far from 
active. Its food is composed chiefly of crustaceans and 
worms, but it also eats vegetable substances. The 
spawning-season occurs during the summer-months, be- 
ginning in May, and the roe is deposited on stones or 
dead shell-fish. “The Black Goby,” says Saville-Kent7 
“is frequently met with beneath large stones at low 
water, it selecting such a habitat not only as an ordinary 
domicile, but as a nursery where it may safely deposit 
and hatch its spawn. The eggs'', as frequently observed 
by the writer, are of very singular shape, being elong- 
ate, ovate or fusiform, about three times as long as 
broad, and are attached vertically by one of the smaller 
ends in a single, closely approximated layer, that may 
London 1883. 
