272 
SCANDINAVIAN FISHES. 
of Uranoscopus. One of the Scandinavian species was 
also originally" called Uranoscopus by Linnaeus, though 
he afterwards changed the name to Trachinus b . The 
oldest generic name, Dracunculus, derived from Pliny, 
and intended to indicate the likeness to Trachinus 
( Draco ), was applied by Rondelet" to a Mediterranean 
species of the genus, which was referred by Artedi to 
the genus Cottas' 1 . The Swedish name “ SjoJcock ” (Sea- 
cook), according to Fries 6 , really signifies Sea-cock; 
and u Fly fj fish (Flying-fish), another Swedish name for 
this genus, is an unconscious reminiscence of Exocoetus, 
the name applied to the genus by Gesner and BelonF 
All the species of this genus are salt-water fishes 
which live alone or in pairs, always keep close to the 
bottom at a moderate or great depth, do not wander 
far, and are apparently monogamous. The males, in 
particular, are adorned with the most beautiful and 
various colours. The external distinction of sex, which 
in other fishes in general is only slightly marked, is 
shown in this genus by a considerable difference of 
form as well as colour. In the former respect the rule 
holds good in this case also, that in the males the first 
dorsal fin is higher, the first ray being considerably 
elongated; while in this genus the last rays of the se- 
cond dorsal fin are also elongated, being, as a rule, at 
least longer than the anterior rays of this fin. The 
distinction of colour is expressed by the gayer and more 
brilliant attire of the males. This difference between 
the sexes led the ichthyologists of a period when little 
attention had yet been given to this point, to describe 
as distinct species forms which were really different 
sexes of the same species. The changes of growth, 
however, are also considerable; arid as the voung males 
are externally very like the females, there was a double 
cause for this confusion in the nomenclature. It is 
Neill whom we have to thank for the first clear elu- 
cidation !/ of the sexual characters. The changes of 
growth in the most common Scandinavian Dragonet 
were first described by Fries 7 '. 
The two species which belong to the Scandinavian 
fauna, may be distinguished as follows: 
A : Base of the anal fin less than 2 / s 
of the distance from its beginning- 
O O 
to the tip of the snout. Second 
dorsal lin marked with several pa- 
rallel, coloured, longitudinal bands Callionymus lyrci. 
B: Base of the anal fin more than 2 / 3 
of the distance from its beginning 
o r' 
to the tip of the snout. Second 
dorsal lin marked with ocellated, 
round spots, set in several rows... Callionymus maculatus. 
The most common Scandinavian species is 
a Mus. Ad. Frid., torn. I, p. 71: Uranoscopus pictus (S\v. Blasted). 
h Fa. Suec., ed. 1, p. 106. 
c Pise. Mar., lib. X, cap. XII. 
d Gen. Pise., p. 49; Syn., p. 77. 
e Slcancl. Fisk., ed. 1, p. 94. 
J Muller, however, supposes ( Zool . Dan. I, No. 36, p. 91) that the Dano-Norwegian name Fl6jfi.sk, which has given rise to Font- 
oppidan’s description of the flight of the Dragonet, is derived, not from flyve (to fly), but from floy (vane, pendant). 
g Mem. Wern. Nat. Hist. Soc., vol. I (1808 -1810), p. 529. 
h Vet.-Akad. Handl. 1837, p. 39. 
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