NATURAL HISTORY. 
142 
[n. zool. gal. 
mouth being elongated into a tube, as the Tobacco-pipe Fish ( Fis - 
tularia). 
The family of Blennies (Blennihl®) are elongated fishes, with a 
single dorsal, almost entirely supported by simple flexible rays. Their 
scales are cycloide, like the Gadidce. Their ventrals consist of only 
two, or rarely three rays, and are placed before the pectorals; they 
emit an abundance of mucus; many are viviparous, and both sexes 
have a tube near the vent. Some have only two rays to the pectoral, 
as the Blennius , which has long equal close teeth, and a blunt head. 
My odes have an elongated head and long muzzle. Salarias have 
a single row of very fine compressed teeth; the head is high and 
compressed. The Clinus has the teeth placed in many rows, and 
the muzzle is blunt. The Cirrhibarbes differ from the former in 
having velvet-like teeth and beard on different parts of the head. 
The Murcenoides has scarcely any ventrals, and an elongated body. 
The Ophistognathus has three rays to the ventral. The Zoarci are 
quite destitute of any spinous rays, their dorsal, anal, and caudal fins 
are united. The Wolf Fish ( Anarrhichas ) only differs from the other 
Blennies in having no ventral fins; the jaws and palate are armed with 
large tubercular teeth, to w 7 hich the fossil Bufonites w r ere formerly re¬ 
ferred. The gall of this fish is used as soap by the Icelanders, w 7 ho 
compare its flesh to that of the eel. 
The family of Gobies (Gobiid^e) have the same simple flexible 
rays to the dorsal, and viscera as the former family, but the ven¬ 
tral fins are united together under the chest, forming a more or less co¬ 
nical cavity, and the scales are toothed like the Perch; the gill cavity 
is partly closed. They live on the sea-shore, and can bear being a 
long time out of water. Gobius have the ventral united their-whole 
length; their body is long, and head rounded; the back has two dorsals, 
the hinder long; they form a nest of sea plants, and defend their 
young. The Goboides have the two dorsals united into one. The 
Tcenioides have a very long body, and nearly perpendicular mouth, 
and very small eyes. The Amora have the preopercular ending in a 
spine, like the Weavers. Periophthalmus have a scaly ^head, with 
very close vertical eyes, with a lower lid, their pectoral fins are on 
short arms. They live long out of water. Others have the ventral 
nearly separate, as the Eleotris; their head is depressed, the eyes far 
apart, and the first dorsal fin short and high. The Batrachi have a 
very large flattened head, the operculum and preoperculum spinose, 
and the pectoral fins with short arms ; the first dorsal is short, supported 
by three spinose rays. The Ccepoli have an elongated body, convex 
head, and large erect mouth; the dorsal fin is elongate, and the first 
rays of the ventral are only spinose; the abdominal cavity is short. 
The Lyre fish (Callionymim:) are very like the two former in 
most particulars, but the gill opening is reduced to a small hole on each 
side. Their ventral fins are placed under the throat, far apart, and 
larger than the pectorals ; the head is depressed, the intermaxillaries 
protractile, and the preoperculum produced behind into spines. The 
skin is smooth, and the front rays of the dorsal are elongated. Cal~ 
lionymas have two dorsals, the first high. Trichonotus have only a 
single dorsal. The Comephores have a low first dorsal, very large 
