OF FISH. 
283 
of a sea-crab; the fish approaches, but, being afraid of 
the line, he makes several turns and trials round the 
bait, and at length nibbles at it, but pretends to reject it, 
and passes by, striking it with his tail, as if he did not 
regard it. But if the rod be kept steady, he presently 
turns back, seizes the bait, and swallows hook and all. 
When he finds himself taken, he becomes enraged, bris- 
tles up his spines, swells out his belly, and endeavours to 
wound every thing that is near him. Finding this of no 
avail, he resorts to cunning, and seems to submit: he 
lowers his spines, contracts his body, and li°s like a wet 
glove. But this artifice not succeeding, and perceiving 
the fisherman dragging him towards the land, he renews 
his defensive attitude with redoubled fury. The spines 
are now vigorously erected, its form rounded, and its 
body so completely armed at all points, that it is impos- 
sible to take it by the hand; it is therefore dragged to 
some distance, where it struggles and quickly dies. 
Spotted Toad Fish. (PL 49.) The head is small; 
the lower jaw protrudes beyond the upper, both fur- 
nished with very small teeth like a file; in the middle 
there is a small cartilage, which serves instead of a 
tongue; the lips, and indeed many other parts of the 
body, send out barbies. The body is laterally compres- 
sed, and exasperated with crooked spines: the head and 
back are broad in front, but go tapering towards the 
tail; the belly is thick and swelling out. From the up- 
per lip shoots out an ei stic barbie, at the end of which 
are two long fleshy substances which seem as if formed 
for holding prey; behind this barbie is another fleshy 
ray, and stronger, and between that and the dorsal fin, 
another still thicker; both are fastened to the back by a 
skin; these instruments he p this clumsy slow-swimming 
animal in catching its pr y. The nostrils are near the 
mouth; they are round; they have a black pupil, and the 
iris is yellow striped with brown. 
This fish is yellow on the sides and back, brown on 
the belly. The body and fins are varied with stripes 
and spots of brown colour, and of different shapes; the 
stripes are broad in some subjects, in others only strokes; 
