134 
Ctenoid Acantheres.- 
-FISHES.- 
-Lophioids. 
the habits of the Shanny {Blennius plwlis) : — “ A 
specimen of this fish was broiiglit to me on the 3rd of 
June. On placing it in a glass vessel of sea- water, it 
appeared perfectly quiet for some hours, but at length 
became restless, and made frequent attempts to throw 
itself out of the water. It then occurred to me that on 
a former occasion, when occupied by the sea-side, I 
had a Gattoruginous Blenny in a vessel with some 
Actinice and Serpulce, which regularly passed a portion 
of its time on a stone ; I therefore placed a pebble in the 
glass. The Shanny immediately leaped on it com- 
pletely out of the water. It therefore appears that 
these changes of medium are necessary to its existence. 
On going to the front of the house, I perceived that it 
was near low water. Knowing that it would flow till 
ten o’clock that night, I watched the movements of my 
little captive, and as the clock struck, had the gratifi- 
cation of seeing it plunge again into its natural element. 
It has now been five months in my possession, and has 
proved throughout that jieriod a regular and correct 
tide-indicator. I was well aware that these fish are 
constantly left by the receding tide on the rocks, 
remaining concealed in small basins or holes under the 
weed, till the returning flood ; still I was not prepared 
to see a fish voluntarily quit the water, and pass so 
large a portion of its existence in a different element, 
and by instinct alone time its changes so exactly. 
Whilst in the water the colours of the Shanny are 
less strongly marked ; but after being a short time 
exposed to, and inhaling atmospheric air, the colour 
changes to a deeper brown, and the markings become 
nearly black, with a regular series of white spots above 
and following the course of the lateral line. I have 
noticed that it has the power of altering its position on 
the stone with great facility, by means of its pectoral 
and ventral fins. At times it reclines on its side ; at 
others it is perfectly erect, resting on its broad pec- 
torals, and turning its head from side to side. It will 
take crumbs of bread and small earth-worms, two or 
three a day being sufficient. It continues in good 
health, and has become so familiar as to take its food 
from my hand ; and if it is not attended to, will dash 
the water about to let me know that he is on the look 
out for his bit of meat or rice.” 
The Eel-pout {Zoarces viviparus) brings forth its 
young alive; and the apodal Wolf-fish {Anarrhiclias 
lupus) is remarkable for its formidable teeth, and their 
unusual form. 
Family XXVI.— LOPHIOIDS {LopUidce). 
Plate 12, fig. 62. 
The most obvious peculiarity of the fishes of this 
family, is the lengthened arm which supports the pec- 
toral fin, whence the German ichthyologists call them 
Arm-tinners, corresponding to the French designation 
of fishes having pediculated or stilted pectorals. The 
skeletons of the Lophioids are fibrous, though but little 
indurated, and in some genera are in great part cartila- 
ginous. No bone-corpuscles enter into their composi- 
tion. Scales are rarely present, except in the form of 
tubercles, or of grains supporting spines, which occur 
in some genera. The sub-orbitar bones are absent ; 
and the gill-openings are restricted to a round hole, or 
a short vertical slit. Most of these fishes have strange 
and rarely handsome forms. Some have enormously 
large heads; others are oval and compressed ; and others 
again are greatly depressed, the breadth being aug- 
mented by the laterally expanded pectorals. The 
dorsals are two, often with some detached flexible or 
spinous rays on the head ; more rarely there is only a 
Fig. 23. 
Three-spotted Cheironect (Chironectes trisignatus). 
single dorsal placed far back. The ventrals have five 
or fewer branching rays, with or without a spine, and 
are mostly placed before the pectorals. The caudal is 
distinct from the dorsal and anal. Generally the 
branchiostegals are six in number. Some members of 
the family have gills on only three of the branchial 
arches ; in others, four arches bear gills. Many have 
large stomachs ; in all the pancreatic caeca are few ; 
and the air-bladder, though present in some genera, is 
absent in the greater number. 
The genera are — Lophius ; Cheironecies , BracMonichthys 
(Bleeker); Halieuiea; Batrachus; Ceratias; and Chaunax. 
The only British species is the Angler, Briarbot, or 
Wide-gab {Lophius piscatorius), a fish most remark- 
able for the capacity of its mouth as compared to the 
size of its body, and the bag-like expansion of its 
branchiostegous membrane. Though common enough 
on the south-coast of England, it is often exhibited as 
an unknown fish. It is reported in almost all ichthyo- 
logical treatises to be in the habit of attracting other 
fishes into its cavern-like maw, by dangling the piece 
of membrane attached to one of the long flexible dorsal 
rays, which rise from the head, as an angler does his 
bait or atificial fly ; but I have not been able to discover 
any account of this process related by an eye-witness. 
The story occurs first in Aristotle ; and Pliny instances 
the “ Sea-frog, called the Fisher,” as a notable instance 
of address in fishes, while the moderns have repeated 
the story one after the other, seemingly without inquir- 
ing into its truth. The Angler is common in muddy 
harbours and tideways, where its enticing bait could 
scarcely be visible ; and when taken in such places, its 
stomach is generally well stored with fishes or crus- 
taceans. It is rarely or never brought to table in 
England. Democritus, as quoted by Pliny, says that if 
the tongue of this fish be plucked out without any other 
part adhering to it, and the fish itself returned alive 
into the water, then the tongue being laid above the 
heart of a sleeping woman, she will give a true reply to 
any question put to her. We have not heard that this 
mesmeiic process has been revived in modern times. 
The Toad-fish of the United States {Batraclim varie- 
