C O T T U S. 
268 
of this fpecies: there are fix rays in the membrane of the 
gills, fifteen in the peftoral fins, three in the ventral, fix 
in the anal, five in the firft dorfal, a d feven in the fe- 
cond. The fltape of this fifh, and the tubercles which 
cover it, render it very remarkable : the head is broad, 
flattened below, armed with fpines above, and barbies 
beneath : the body narrows infenfibly towards the tail ; 
and, inflead of feales, is covered with tubercles : the 
upper jaw protrudes beyond the lower ; and both jaws, 
as" well as the roof of the mouth, are armed with fe'veral 
rows of final 1 fltarp teeth ; the aperture of the mouth 
is underneath, middle-fized, and crefcent-fhaped ; the 
tongue is broad and thin : the upper part of the head is 
covered with a large bony mafs, with lpines, and hollow 
above and at the fides ; four curvated pikes directed to¬ 
wards the muzzle, forming two crefcent-fhaped furrows, 
give the fifh a lingular appearance ; at the fide of thefe 
appear the rioftrils, which are funnel-fhaped : the eyes 
are round, and placed at the fides ; the pupil black, iris 
yellow : the covering of the gills is a fingle plate, aper¬ 
ture broad: on both jaws are barbies, in fix bent rows: the 
tubercles which cover the trunk are bony ; they end in 
a bent point above, are ftriated below, and jointed one 
into the other; they lie along in eight rows, and hence 
caufe the odlagonal appearance of the fifh : thefe tuber¬ 
cles, examined through a microfcope, have the fame ap¬ 
pearance as thofe of the fturgeon : the back is brown as 
well as the fides, with three or four black fpots : the 
belly is broad, and white; the pectoral fin is broad, 
round, of a greyifh-white colour, fcattered with little 
black fpots; the ventral fins are narrow and long; the 
anal fin is oppofite the fecond dorfal, and is black at its 
origin; the tail-fin is round, with branched rays; the 
dorfal fins are grey, with fquare black fpots; die rays 
of the firft dorfal are fharp-pointed. This and the Japo- 
nicus are made a feparate genus, afpidophorns, or fhield- 
bearer, by Cepede. This fpecies grows fix inches long ; 
it commonly lies in the land between the ftones. They 
are found in the North Sea, Greenland, Iceland, Eng¬ 
land, and Holland, particularly at the conflux of the 
Elbe and the Eider, in the Baltic Sea, and in the river 
Pene in Swedifh Pomerania. It lives on aquatic infeifts, 
efpecially the cancer grangon. They are taken with nets; 
and it is ufual to cut off the head before they are dreired ; 
they are reckoned good eating in mod of the countries 
where they are taken ; but the Greenlanders cannot en¬ 
dure them; neither do they eat them at New York, 
where they are cal ed poifon-fjk. They fpawn in May, 
between ftones near the banks of rivers. Their internal 
Conformation is the fame as in the preceding fpecies. 
5. Cottus monopterygius, the Indian bullhead; fpe- 
cific character, a fingle dorfal fin, no warts on the head: 
there are fix rays in the membrane of the gills, nine in 
the pectoral fin, two in the ventral, five in the anal, 
five in the dorfal, and fix in the tail, which is rounded. 
Cepede numbers fourteen rays in the pedloral ; and, 
from there being but one dorfal fin,'and a cuirafs on the 
body and tail, he makes a di Hindi genus, afpidophoroid.es. 
The body is narrow, long, and octagonal: the head is 
forefliortened ; the upper jaw protrudes, and upon it are 
two prickles, turned back: the eyes are large, with a 
black pupil and filvery iris; there are two little holes 
between the mouth and eyes; the gill-covert is fingle, 
the aperture large, and the membrane lies under the 
throat: the body is broad upwards, but goes tapering 
away towards the tail, and is compofed of pieces of an 
offeous fubftance and eight-fided, each of which is made 
of eight angular plates ftreaked like horn; the joining 
of thefe gives the fifh fomething of an octangular fhape ; 
but the tail is fexagonnl only: there is a wide furrow in 
tire back arifing near the eyes, and ending at the tail. 
The belly is fhort; and the anus is near the throat; be¬ 
hind the arms there is another furrow, which extends to 
the end of the anal fin. The ground-colour of the fifh is 
brown on the back, grey on the fides, ftriped, and dotted 
with black ; the belly is fpotted with white ; all the fins 
are of a grey colour, the pedtorals fpotted with brown. 
This fpecies is from the Ea'ft Indies ; and was firfi de¬ 
ferred by Bloch, from a fpecimen fent him by Koenig 
from Tranquebar. It lives on little crabs and polypees: 
as it has very little fiefli, it is only ufed as bait. 
6. Cottus grunniens, the grunter; fpecific character, 
body flippery, many barbies unde the throat: there are 
fix rays in the membrane of the gills, twenty-two in the 
pedloral fin, four in the ventral, fixteen in the anal, 
eleven in the tail, three in the firft dorfal, and twenty 
in the fecond : the head is broad, flat above and below; 
the body is laterally comprefled : the mouth is very 
wide ; the tongue is broad, the palate fmooth ; the 
lower jaw is the longed ; the lips are large, and have 
two rows of fharp teeth, bent back, and (landing apart; 
each jaw is armed in a fimilar manner, (Klein fays this 
fifh has no teeth:) near the upper lip are two cylindri¬ 
cal barbies, and two fmall apertures near the eyes; the 
eyes are fmall, pupil black, iris red ; above the eyes are 
three filaments : the gill-covert is fingle, and has three 
prickles ; the aperture is very wide, and the membrane 
bare: the back and head are brown; the fides white, 
intermixed with brown : the belly is fhort; the pedto- 
ral and ventral fins are reddi111 ; the others grey ; but 
all fpotted with brown ; the two firft rays of the dorfal 
fins are fharp fpines ; the reft of them, and all thofe of the 
ventral fin, are Ample ; but the rays of the other fins are 
branched. On a minute infpedtion of this fifli, the body 
will be found full of pores, whence iffues a vifeous hu¬ 
mour which holds the place of feales. It inhabits both 
the Eaft and Weft Indian feas. The fize and ftrength of 
its mouth place it among the voracious tribe of fifties ; 
and it may be ealily caught with a hook baited with a 
fmall fifti or a piece of meat: it makes a grunting noife 
when taken, whence the name. The flefti is white, fat, 
and well-tailed ; the liver is efteemed venomous and 
deadly ; in truth, it is more oily than any other part, 
and may eaftly make any perfon fick. 
7. Cottus Japonicus, the Japan bullhead; fpecific 
character, body odiagonal, covered with pointed bony 
tubercles, no barbies: the firft dorfal fin has lix rays, 
the fecond feVen, the pedtorals twelve each, the ventrals 
two, anal eight, and tail twelve. Dr. Pallas firft de- 
feribed this fpdeies, which is found about Japan and the 
Kurile ifles : it has fome refemblance to the catap/iradus. 
The head is long, comprefled, flattened into a furrow at 
the top : on each fide of the fnout, which is blunt and 
bilobated, is a long plate with two or three furrows, and 
a fmall barbie in front, (fays Cepede,) though this feems 
to contradict the fpecific charadter : the rims of the jaws 
are befet with a vaft number of teeth : the eyes are near 
the end of the muzzle, with a long protuberance over 
each the gill-coverts are ferrated or notched : the body 
and tail are inclofed in a cuirafs, each piece of which is 
befet with a pointed tubercle or fpine ; thefe pieces are 
ftriated in the manner of rays diverging from a center; 
and are fo difpofed as to give the body the appearance 
of an eight-fided pyramid, diminiftiing to five, fix, or 
feven, Tides, towards the apex, of the pyramid, or tail of 
the fifh : the firft dorfal fin is nearly oppofite the pedlo- 
rals, the fecond to the anal; the rays are in general ftiff, 
and not articulated. The prevailing colour of this fpe¬ 
cies is yellowifh white ; but the black is brownifh ; and 
there are fome ftripes on the fins, a large radiated fpot 
behind the head, and fome tranfverfe ftripes about the 
body and tail, of a fimilar colour : it is about a foot long. 
8 . 'Cottus auftralis, the South Sea bullhead ; fpecific 
character, fpines on the head, longitudinal and tranfverfe 
ftripes. This fpecies was difeovered in New South Wales, 
and is deferibed and figured in the Appendix to White’s 
Voyage to Botany-bay. It is whitifh, with pale tranf¬ 
verfe bars, and yellow longitudinal ftripes; and not more 
than four inches long. 
9. Cottus infidiator, the crafty bullhead ; fpecific 
character. 
