646 GOB 
verfe ftripes ; there are fmall brown bands on the tail 
fin, which is rounded ; the ventrals are of abluifli colour. 
4. Gobius paganellus, the fea-gudgeon. Specific 
chararter, the firfl: dorfal fin edged with yellow ; the 
fecond and the anal purple at the bafe. The firfl: dorfal 
fin has.fix rays, the fecond feventeen, the pedlorals fe- 
venteen each, the ventrals twelve, the anal lixteen, and 
the tail twenty. Found in the Mediterranean Sea, 
among rocks, whence its trivial name of fea-gudgeon 
or goby. It grov/s fometimes ten inches long ; its co¬ 
lour white fliaded v/itlt yellow, and fometimes with 
green ; it has befides fome little black fpots ; the tail 
fin is almofl: ftraight; the teeth are fmall; mouth large. 
According to Ariflotle, it feeds on marine plants. The 
flefli is lean, and fomewhat crifp. They approach the 
fhores to depofit their fpawn : as tliere, fays Rondele- 
tius, they find cool water, plenty of food, and fafety 
from the attacks of larger filh. 
5. Gobius Arabicus, the Arabian goby. Specific 
character, the five lafl: rays of the firfl dorfal fin twice 
as long as the membrane, and ending in a red filament. 
The firfl dorfal fin has fix rays, the fecond fourteen, the 
pedtorals fixteen, the ventrals twelve, the anal thirteen, 
and the tail feventeen. Forfkael difcovercd this filh at 
Jedda in Arabia; it is not longer than one’s little fin¬ 
ger, but its colours are beautiful. The upper furtace 
is moflly of a greenifli brown, fet off by a great number 
of blue and violet fpots, running one into the other, 
and moflly upon the fins ; the . tips of the long rays 
which form the fpecific charadler are red. Its Ikin is 
foft; fcales fmall, and flrongly adherent; tail fin wedge- 
Ihaped. 
6. Gobius nebulofus, the clouded goby. Specific 
charafler—the fecond ray of the firfl dorfal terminating 
in a black filament twice as long as the membrane. 
The membrane of the gills is fuflained by feven rays, 
the firfl dorfal by fix, the fecond by eleven, the pedorals 
have eighteen each, the ventrals twelve, the anal ele¬ 
ven, and the tail fourteen. This allb was found by 
F'orfkael at Jedda ; it is three inches long ; of a white 
colour clouded with brown fpots on the upper furface ; 
the pedtoral fins are fea-green ; the dorfal, anal, tind 
tail, fins, are tranfparent; the anal edged with black; 
the under part of the body is entirely white, without 
any fpot ; the fcales are large, rough, and loxenge- 
fliaped ; tail fin rounded at the end; the pupil of the 
eye is blue, the iris white. 
7. Gobius eleotris, the Chinefe goby. Specific cha¬ 
racter—nine rays in the anal fin. There are five rays in 
the membrane of the gills, fix in the firfl; dorfal, eleven 
in the fecond, twenty in the peClorals, ten in the ven¬ 
trals, and twenty in ilie tail. This isa Chinefe fpecies; 
l!ie general colour white ; the fecond dorfal fin is as 
liigh as the firft ; tail fin rounded ; the body is fur- 
nithed with large, round, fmooth, fcales, with a violet 
ij.mt on the back, near the gill-covert. 
8. Gobius patella, Thunberg’s goby. Specific cha. 
raiter—tw'clve rays in the fecond dorfal fin, jaws even, 
fcales Imali, two dorfal fins of equal height, twenty- 
eight r<iys in the caudal fin. 1 here are five rays in the 
full dorfal fin, fifteen in each peCtorai, and nine in the 
anal. 1 his fpecies, difeovered by Thunberg in the 
Jndian Sea, much refembles the Chinefe goby. Its 
length is about four incites ; there are feveral rows of 
teeth in the mouth, and the fttoui is blunt; the ventral 
fins are fhoner than the pectorals; colour whitiili, with- 
otit fpots or bars. 
9. Gobuis aphya, the loach goby. Specific charac- 
"ter—brown bands op the dorjal and anal fins. The firfl 
dorfal fin has fix rays, the fecond fixteen, the pectorals 
eighteen, the ventrals twelve, the anal fourteen, and 
the tail thirteen. This inhabits th.e Nile, and the Me¬ 
diterranean Sea into which it falls ; thus it is both a 
frefli and fait water fifh, and has been noticed by molt 
naturalifts ancient and modern. It feldo.m reaches four 
I u s. 
inches long; its general colour is whitifli, with fome 
fmall fpots of black. 
10. Gobius minutus, the fmall goby. Specific cha- 
rafter—colour white, with ferruginous fpots, and faint 
flripes'of the fame on the dorfal and tail fins. The firfl 
dorfal fin has fix rays, the fecond and the anal eleven 
each. The head is deprefled ; the eyes large and pro¬ 
minent, iris fapphire-colour ; the dorfal fins are diflant 
from each other ; tail fin ftraight. It is about three 
inches long, and rvas firft defcrlbed by Pallas. 
11. Gobius jozo, the blue goby. This fpecies is 
diftinguilhed by the blue colour of the fins., and by the 
rays of the firft dorfal fin protruded beyond the mem¬ 
brane. There are four rays in the membrane of the 
gills ; fixteen in the pectoral fins, twelve in the ven¬ 
trals, fourteen in the anal, fixteen in the tail, fix in the 
firft dorfal, and fourteen in the fecond. The head is 
comprelied at the Tides ; jaws equal ; pupil of the eye 
black, iris white ; the back is round, and of a brown 
colour; the Tides whitifh ; the fcales middle-lized. 
This fifh inhabits the North Sea and tlie Baltic ; being 
natural alfo to the Mediterranean, it was not unknown 
to Ariflotle. It is commonly found near fund banks. 
They live on fpawn, crabs, fnails, and fmaller fifli, 
growing to about fix inches long ; but are themfelves 
often the prey of other voracious fifh who approach 
the fliores for the purpofe of cafting their fpawn. Tliey 
lay their eggs on fmooth places covered with fand ; 
tliough their ova are very numerous, they do not in- 
creafe very fafl, becaufe, being fmall, they are fo often 
devoured by larger fifli. They are frequently cauglit 
in nets fpread out for other fifli ; being lean and hard, 
tliey are not much efteemed as food. The figure given 
of this fpecies by Rondeletius is very incorrecl : we 
have prefented a more exaft delineation in the anne.xed 
Plate, fig. 3. 
12. Gobius pecliniroftris, the comb-toothed goby. 
Specific charadler—the teeth in the lower jaw (landing 
horizontally. There are five rays in the membrane of 
th& gills, five in the firft dorfal fin, twenty-fix in the 
fecond, nineteen in the pedlorals, twelve in the ventrals, 
twenty-five in the anal, and fifteen in the tail. This 
fpecies is from China. The teeth in the lower jaw are 
fo difpofed as to refemble the femicircular combs with 
which ladies faften up their hair behind. 
13. Gobius barbarus, the obfeure goby. Specific 
charadler—the peiloral fins fpread like a fan. Twelve 
rays in the firft dorfal fin, and thirteen in the fecond. 
Nothing more is known of this fpecies, which hence has 
been named barbarus, i.e. foreign or obfeure. 
14. Gobius Schlofleri, Schlofl'er’s goby. Specific 
charadler—the firft dorfal fin confining of fpiny or ftift' 
rays. There are three rays in the membrane of the 
gills, eight in the firfl dorfal fin, thirteen in the fecond, 
fixteen in the petlorals, twelve in the ventrals and anal, 
and nineteen in the tail. Pallas firft deferibed this fpe¬ 
cies from a fpecimen and notes fent him by the learned 
Schloffer, wiiofe name he has given it. It is eight 
incites in iengtli ; the head long, broader than tlie body, 
and covered with fcales; the lips are thick, hard, and 
rough infide ; the upper lip is double ; the teeth are 
large, of various fizes, lharp, jagged, and placed with, 
out any order ; the eyes are very clofe together, and 
placed on the top of the head,; their orbits are much 
raifed, but fo (iiiiaied that the cornea is turned, of the 
one to the right, of the other to the left. The fcales are 
large, round, and foftilh ; the lateral line is not eafily 
diftinguilhed ; the colour is blackifh-brown on the back, 
on the belly whitifh. The pe6loral fins are placed at the 
end of flefliy prodiuftions hke arms, which enables the 
animal not only to move tiiefe fins with more eafe by 
means of a longer lever, fo as to fwim with greater ce¬ 
lerity in the muddy waters it inhabits, but alfo to crawl 
along the fhores like many of the amphibia; by means 
of fins fo formed, it can penetrate into the mud to avoid 
