SPINY EELS. 
395 
The common wolf-fish {A. lupus), often known as the sea-wolf or sea-cat, like two 
allied species, ranges as far north as Norway and Greenland; in both of which 
countries its flesh forms a staple article of food. 
obiique-Spined I he fifth family ( Accinthoclinidcc ) of the section under con- 
Bienny. sideration is represented only by the New Zealand oblique-spined 
blenny ( Acauthoclinus littoreus), shown in the annexed illustration, and is charac- 
teiised by the elongate, low, compressed, and scaly body, the single dorsal fin— 
chiefly composed of spines occupying nearly the whole length of the back, and 
the comparatively long and many-spined anal; the pelvic fins being jugular 
in position, and consisting solely of a few soft rays. On the coasts of New 
Zealand this blenny is stated to be a very common fish; its habits being probably 
similar to those of its European cousins. 
„ . „ , The so-called spiny eels of the Oriental region and West Africa 
form a family ( Rhynchobdellidce ) affording an interesting example 
of parallelism in development, since these spiny-finned eels are an exact analogue 
of the true soft-finned eels. They are characterised by the elongate eel-like 
form of the body; the long dorsal fin, of which the anterior portion consists of 
short isolated spines; and the absence both of pelvic fins and of a papilla in the 
neighbourhood of the vent. The gill-opening forms a slit on the side of the head ; 
four gills are contained in the gill-chamber, and there are no false gills. An 
elongated movable appendage forms the termination of the muzzle, and although 
the lower jaw is long, it has but little power of motion. As an especial peculiarity 
of these fishes, we may notice that in the skeleton there is no connection between 
the pectoral girdle and the skull. The air-bladder is present. The species 
(.Mastacembelus armatus), shown in the upper figure of the illustration on p. 396, 
is one of the Indian representatives of a genus characterised by the smooth 
under surface of the appendage of the snout, and the presence of a preorbital 
spine. The members of this genus have a geographical distribution, coextensive 
with that of the family, being found in the brackish and fresh waters of West 
Africa, India, Ceylon, Burma, and the Malayan region. On the other hand, 
