GOB 
its enemies-; and it can follow tlie crabs, whicli are Its 
favourite food, upon the f'ands. Tl.is firti is caught at 
Aniboyna in marfliy places and is efleenied good food ; 
the IDutch in India call it Ciiinefe filh. 
15. Gobius melanuios, the black-tailed goby. Spe¬ 
cific cliaradter—only one doifal fin ; tlie tail black. 
16. Gobius anguillaris, tlie fed-finned goby. Specific 
charafler—one dorfal fin, tail red. h'ifty-two rays in 
the dorfal fin, twelve in the peflprals, ten in the vcn. 
trals, Ibrty-threc in tlie anal, and ten in the tail. -This 
come.s fi om the Eall, efpecially the Indian Archipelago 
and Cliina, where indeed many of the fpecies are found. 
Cepede feparates this and the preceding into a neiv ge¬ 
nus, which he calls gobioidcs, or “ lhaped like the goby,” 
on account of their having but one dorfal fin. As 
its name imports, it has Ibme likenefs to tlie murena 
anguilla, or common eel, from the length of the dorfal 
and anal fins, which reach almofl; to the tail ; and allb 
the final! lize of the peblorals, which are rounded; but 
efpecially from the vilcofity of the fkiii, which is fo 
impregnated with oil as to be femipellucid. The jaws 
are funiifiied witJi fmall teeth ; all tlie fins are bright 
red. 
17. Gobius edeiitulus, the tootlilefs goby. Specific 
cliarafiter—one dorfal fin, no teeth, 'riiere are feveii 
rays in the membrane of the gills, forty-three in the 
dorl'al fill, tJiirty-three in each pectoral, twenty-nine in 
tlie anal, and twedve in the tail. The head is large, 
indented with very perceptible pores, fo that the fkiii is 
vifeous and oily like the preceding ; along each jaw 
runs a bony plate inflead of teerh ; for no teeth, pro¬ 
perly lb called, have been liitlierto difeovered ; the 
pedtoral fins are very broad ; and tlie dorfal rifes in 
height as it approaches the tail. 
18. Gobius Brouflbnettii, Broulibnet’s goby. Specific 
charafler—one dorfal fin, body very long and thin, teeth 
in the jaws, tail flu pointed. Tlie dorfal fin confilts of 
twenty-tliree rays, the peftorals feventeen, the ventrals 
feven each, the anal feventeen, the tail fixteeii. This 
was firfl del'cribed by Cepede from a fpecimen in a col- 
ledtioii, which, lie fays, the Hollanders gave to the I'lench 
nation : he lias named it after Brouflbnet, as a compli¬ 
ment to that gentleman’s zeal for natural hiftory. The 
teeth are very fmall ; tlie ventral fins long, and lb joined 
as to form a deep funnel ; the pectorals are fmall, and 
rounded ; the dorfal and anal fins reach to the end of 
the tail 5 the body is extremely long and taper; and 
the fkiii is fufficiently traiifparent for the number and 
polition of the principal mal'cles to be diftinguifhed. 
19. Gobius Boddaerti, Boddaert’s-goby. Specific cha- 
radter—two dorfal fins, the five rays of the firfl dorfal 
filamentous, of which the third is very long. The fe- 
cond dorfal has twenty-five rays, the peclorals twenty- 
one, the ventrals thirty-four, the anal twenty-five, the 
tail eighteen. This fpecies is caught in the Indian Sea ; 
it is named after a very celebrated naturalifl, but more 
particularly deferi’oed by Pallas. It grows to about 
fix inches long, of a bluilli brov.m above, and reddifh 
white beneath; fpots of brown and white,appear on the 
head ; the membrane of the gills and the tail fin are 
white fiiaded with blue ; on each fide of the back are 
ieven brown fpots ; and under them, on the fides, feven 
others dotted with white ; the anal aperture is encircled 
with a black ring ; on the lateral line are fome fpots as 
v,/hite as fnow, and a number of very minute papillae ; 
the firfl dorfal fin is dotted with white, and five or fix 
white lines run tranfverfely between the rays of the fe- 
cond ; the head is large, with a blunt fnout and thick 
lips; the eyes incline to an oval fhape, and are vertical, 
but not very prominent; behind the anus appears a 
flefliy appendage of a conical fhape, probably a paflage 
for the fpawn ; which has been improperly called pedun- 
iulus, or a fmall foot. 
20. Gobius lagocephalus, the hare-lipped goby. Spe- 
fic chiira£ler—the upper jaw hemifpheiical; no tongue 
I U S. Gf7 
nor lateral line. There are three rays in tlie membrane 
ol the gills, fix in ilie firfl dorfal, eleven in the fecond, 
fifteen in the peftorals, eight in the ventrals, ten in the 
anal, and twelve in the tail. The head is fliort, thick, 
and tree from fcales ; the upper jaw is femicircular, 
thick, covered v\ith a double lip much protruded, 
flefhy, and cleft like a Iiare’s; there is a fimilar cleft in 
the lower; the under jaw contains a few jagged teetli 
larger than the reft; the palate alfo is furniflicd with 
numerous fmall teeth ; tlie eyes are near togetiier, and 
veiled by a continuation of tlie epidermis. ' This fifli is 
feldom niore than a finger’s lengtli; its colours are grev, 
brown, and black, with fmall fcales; the firfl dorfal fin 
dias finiple rays, tlie fecond and caudal branched ; the 
tail fin rounded at the end. 
21. Gobius cyprinoides, the cyprinus goby.—Specific 
charaCler—the fcales large and fomewhat ciliated; the 
tail fin rounded. The firfl dorfal fin has fix rays, the 
fecond ten, the pedlorals eigliteeii, the ventrals twelve, 
the anal one flifband nine articulated, the tail fifteen. 
This received its name from a fuppofed refemblance to 
fome of the fpecies of Cyprinus, on account of its large 
fringed fcales; but perhaps it is more like the Spams. 
It is found about the illand of Amboyna, and was firfl 
deferibed by Pallas. The upper furface is grey, the 
lov.'er white; length about three incites; the Itead is 
rather wider than the body, and covered with lines in-, 
terfetled like net-work., A little black tuft or crell 
rifes between tlie eyes; it is of a triangular fhape, 
placed lengthwife, and might be miflaken for a Iniall 
dorfal fin. The canal behind the anus has a furrow in 
the tail to receive it. 
22. Gobius lanceolatus, the lancet goby. The broad 
tail, fhaped like the end of a lancet, is the diftinguifliing 
charadler of tliis fpecies. There are five rays in rite 
membrane of the gills, fixteen in the pedloral fin, eleven 
in the ventral, fixteen in the anal, twenty in tlie tail, 
fix in the firll dorfal, and eighteen in the fecond. The 
body is long, and very little larger at tlie extremity of 
tlie head than near the end of the tail ; the liead is ob¬ 
long, and truncated ; the jaws of equal length, armed 
with fmall fliarp teesh ; the covering of the gills is two 
little plates, and their aperture is broad ; the eyes are 
at the top of the head, and near eacli other, black pu¬ 
pil, and gilt iris ; tlie neck is round, fo is the body, and 
of a brown colour; the clieeks are bluifli edged with 
red ; the fides are comprelfed, and of a pale yellow co¬ 
lour. Vv'here the two dorfaCfins meet, there is a brown 
fpot on each fide; tlie fcales are round in their exterior 
form, and lie one over the other like tiles on the roof 
of a hoiif'e ; thofe at the tail are much larger than thofe 
at the head ; the pedtoral fins are yellow bordered with 
blue ; their rays are divided near the extremities like 
thofe of the belly and tail ; but the rays of tlie dorfal 
and anal fins are fingle; and all are foft; thole of the 
firfl dorfal have long points which come out very far, 
but flill they are foft ; the rays of the anal and dorfal 
fins are diflant, but united by a tender tranfparent fkin ; 
the two ventral fins are confounded one in Hie other, 
and form a flrong cavity ; the tail fin at its origin is a 
greenifli-yellow, but the outer part is violet. See the 
Plate, fig. I. This is an American fpecies, found abun¬ 
dantly in the rivers and ftreams of Martinico, where 
Plumier faw a great many. According to him, they 
are very good eating ; and are about eight or nine inches 
long. 
23. Gobius Plumieri, Plumier’s goby. The protrii- 
fion of the upper jaw is the diflinftive charadler of this 
fpecies. There are four rays in the membrane of the 
gills, twelve in the pedloral fins, fix in the ventrals, ten 
in the anal, fourteen in the tail, fix in the firfl dorfal, 
and twelve in the fecond. The body is brawny, and 
round ; head large, lips flrong; mouth wide; jaws 
armed with fharp teeth ; pupil of the eye black, iris 
lilvery; between the mouth and eyes are four minute 
holesji^ 
