27 o NATURAL HISTORY 
Bulcharclo Cornubienfi bene convenit , fed cirris bifidis differ tk Ibid, 
Fig. io. 
Of fifh bifinned on the back with foft and flexile rays, a very 
rare one was taken in Mount’s Bay, January 29, 1756 : It is the 
Dracunculus , Rondel, lib. x. chap. xn. The oddnefs of its fhape, 
and the beauty of its colour, induced me to give two drawings of 
it, Plate xxvi. Fig. x. and xi. It is generally reckoned a mediter- 
ranean fifh, in which feas Mr. Ray found it ; but fcarce half the 
flze of the Cornifh one. It is alfo different from the icon of Ron- 
deletius : its upper mandible projected much beyond the lower ; it 
was fharp, bony, and bent forwards like the beak of a raven ; its 
eyes large, clofe together, placed in the upper part of the head ; its 
head large in proportion to the other parts, and fomewhat com- 
prefled ; the firfl: radius of the anterior back-fin fliff, and reach- 
ing backwards as far as the tail ; the fin high, wavy, triangular, 
with four radius's ; the belly-fin had the fame number ; it had four 
pe&oral fins, two immediately under, and two pofterior to the gills; 
they are horizontal at their infertions, from which one would ima- 
gine, that they were ufed in time of danger for flying w ; the body 
is round, tapering to a point at the tail, which is a fin of feven 
rays. When it was firfl; taken, its colours were rich, yellow, pearl- 
colour, and blue. 
Fig. in. Plate xxvi. is the Draco marinus (Rondeletii aliorum- 
que ), in our feas fcarce; it is badly defigned in Willughby, 
who, as well as other authors who have defcribed this fifh, has 
not taken notice of the deep fulcus on the back, in which, as the 
ingenious Mr. Dyer, who fent it me 1757, obferves, this fifh can 
conceal the poifonous fpines of his dorfal-fins when they are 
reclined, that he may exert them occafionally with the greater exe- 
cution. I have given a drawing of it by the general fcale. 
sect. viii. Some fifh bifinned on the back have the former fin radiated with 
prickly points, among which the baffe claims the firfl; place ; its 
elegant fhape and compact ftrudlure (equally adapted for ftrength 
and agility) inclined me to give its icon from a large well-fed fpe- 
cimen, Plate xxvi. Fig. xix. This is the Lupus of moft authors ; 
the Perea , f pecks qma. Percarum Artedi , page 69. 
The mullet is generally taken with us in fmall nets near the 
fhore. 
Some of thefe fifh are named Cuculi by the Latins, from the 
found of the voice, which refembles that of the cuckow-bird, by 
the Englifh called Gurnards (from their grunting like a fow, fays 
w Mr. Ray, page 87, fays the fifh of the cuculine kind fometimes employ their fins to the ufe of flying, 
though chiefly defigned for another purpofe. 
Ray, 
( 
