~ Sener eecr ics ba eon — ett yar ot ste Sow ee oe Se ee ee a PG ae eA RL mr aap Fi - +m Pan athe ea 0 ol meg ol el oe Sei: ee ee pias GENERAL ZOOLO / or Oar 171 NATU] yy GEORGE SHAW, M.D.F.R.S &e. WITH PLATES SY STE: from the first Authorities and most select specimens Ss 7 O72 eave Eee wee eA D Daa OT ee M*? HEATH —$———— VOLLY. Part 1. YP LS CE Sa. London Printed for G.Kearflev Fleet Street. 1BO3 s eoa/ GENERAL ZOOLOGY. VOLUME IV.——PART FL. PISCES. LONDON. © PRINTED FOR GEORGE KEARSLEY, FLEET-STREET ? BY THOMAS DAVISON, WHITE-FRIARS, a Ee 1803. CCONTEN TS OF VOL. IV.—PART I. Page LAMMODYTES cenvs 81 | ANARHICHAS GENUS 93 ANGUILLA GENUS 15 ‘BLENNIUSGENUS , 163 Blenny, crested 263 Punaru 164 Home.) oo LOA: —_——— ocellated . 165 ——- fasciated , 166 salient . 167 —— Gattorugine 108 ——_—— supercilious 169 —-— tentaculated a7 ——— simous 172 ——— Hake 172 a———— trifurcated Aa 7?" ————. punctated - 176 ——— smooth . . 177 Blenny, Boscian ——— gunnel Frog ——— murenoid - Viviparous Weesle areolated CALLIONYMUS GENUS Cod, common Dorse Haddock —— Whiting-Pout —— Bib Poor blennoid Saida — Whiting coeal-fish Pollack green ° . 140 Page 178 179 180 182 183 183 184 115 131 136 158 139 141 142 143 144 145 147 149 ten E si Lf iv Cod, Hake . Ling orskt fF % —— Cimbrian . Mediterranean —— Burbot —— Leverian . Weesle . — three-bearded five-bearded CoMEPHORUS GENUS — Baikal Dragonet, gemmeous sordid . Indian . Baikab'\; ocellated ° arrow-headed Japanese Eel, common 5 Conger... is — spotted. . — Snake ——— Rondeletian — GADUSGENUS . GyMnotus GENUS Gymnote, electrical Carasso ; short-tailed wae LOstrated » CONTENTS. 149 151 161 159 161 154 154 156 157 158 70 Gymnote, white . . 64 needle. =" (7 Ga fin-backed . 66 Asiatic: 2a 3) Gy ————— white-fronted 64 KuRrtrus GENUS . ,. 185 Indian 2 Sas Levoca anys GENUS 84 Launce; sand . « 4, 80 MowoprErus GENUS 39 Monoptere, Javan. % ° 39 Morris, Anglesea 4: 47. @4 MuR2ZNA GENUS 4. 26 Romait*)'y #424 438 spotted." ae chain-striped . 28 reticulated oo 29 African (aeyit 5468 Zebra a Southern: '9.)) +-+32 speckled i(4i/)s wea colubrine . | « 33 green ADU Ti etie rae ODONTOGNATHUS GENUS 74 aculeated . 74 OPHIDIUM GENUS . 68 bearded. «» 6 beardless . 70 CONTENTS. : Vv Ophidium, Mastacembalus 71 || Swordfish,common . 99 rostrated . 73 || ——————broad-finned 101 short-snouted 104 Star-Gazer, bearded . 124 || ————— round-snouted 105 ’ SPHAGEBRANCHUS GENUS Trrurys Genus ..» 78 e e e a e « 37 rostrated 37 || TRicHIuRUS GENUS . 90 STERNOPTYX GENUS bi2}) Trichiure;'silyer,.)) 900 transparent 112 ||—————— electrical . 92 e STROMATEUS GENUS . 107 || Triple-Tail,Commersonian 79 Stromat, striped . . 107 || URanoscopusGEeNnus 124 ww Par fos - ash-coloured . 109 || Weever, Dragon . . 8% , 27 - Osbeckian . 130 - silver Tet a #511) w—~= black are Se ET Wolf-Fish,common . 95 STYLEPHORUS GENUS Sou. banner |. OF chordated 87 XIPHIASGENUS . . 99 Synbranchus, marbled 35 ee plait: 5. 3G! SYNBRANCHUS GENUS 25 eis et de ke riserrpiecp Ee ‘ia c eee Aa ae Ry it Directions for placing the Plates in vol. IV. part I. The Vignette represents a diminished view of the Anguilla Ophis described at p. 22. Plate 1 tofacepage 14 Plate 14 to face page 98 2 23 15 100 $-—-———— = 16 ————_ 1105 4 34. 17 ———— + 106 5 36 18 113 6 40 19 ————_ 1114. 7 —— 68 20 ——— —s-:125 S ———~ 75 D1 is 1:25 9 ——— 80 (92 ———— «131 10 85 23 ————_—:1150 11—— _ ‘86 24 —mmenn——= 15 ‘32 Ol 25 es 184, 13 ————-__-7902 ERRATA.—VOLAIV. PART f, Me. ve ** The fifth volume of this work, which will con- clude the Natural History of Fishes, will be published early in the year 1804. PISCES. Tue general description both of the external and internal parts of Fishes, considered as a distinct tribe of animals, cannot be better detailed than in the works of the ingenious Dr. Monro, who observes that these animals have neither anterior nor posterior extremities, as quadrupeds and birds, their pro- gression being performed in a different method. For this purpose they are provided with machines, properly consisting of a great number of elastic beams, connected to one another by firm mem-+ - branes, and with a tail of similar texture. Their spine is moveable towards the posterior part, and the strongest muscles of their body are inserted there. ‘Their tails are so framed as to contract to a narrow space when drawn together to either side, and to expand again when drawn to a strait line with their bodies; so that, by the assistance of the | broad tail and the fins on the sides, the animals make their progression in the water in much the same way as a boat with oars at its sides, and a rudder at its stern: the perpendicular fins situated T.aV. P. b ; L} oe - PISCES, on the superior part of the body keep them in equi- librio, hindering the belly from turning upwards, which it would otherwise easily do; the air-bag in the abdomen rendering that part specifically lighter than the back: but by the resistance which these. fins meet with when inclined to either side, the animals are kept with the back uppermost. A more ample explanation of this particular may be found in Borelli’s work de motu animalium. Fishes have nothing which can properly be called a neck, since they seek their food in an horizontal direction, and can move their bodies either upwards or downwards, as they have occasion, by the con- traction or dilatation of the air-bag. A long neck, as it would hinder their progression, would be very disadvantageous in the element in which they are destined to reside. The teeth differ in the biecane aice we the generality of Fishes are unprovided with strong teeth, or such as are calculated for breaking and grinding the food, which usually consists of small fishes or other animals that need no trituration in the mouth, but spontaneously dissolve into a liquid chyle; their teeth rather serving to grasp their prey, and hinder it from escaping. For the same purpose the — internal cartilaginous basis of the bronchi and the two round bodies situated in the posterior part of the jaws have a great number of tenter-hooks fixed into them, in such a manner as to permit any thing easily to get down, but to be prevented from return- ing ; the superfluous water, which is necessarily re- ceived along with the food, passing between the psi PISCES. 3 interstices of the bronchi and the flap which covers them. The compression of the water on the bronchi is of considerable use to the creature, as will after- wards appear. The cesophagus or gullet is very shert, and scarce to be distinguished from the stomach, since the _ food is retained almost equally in both. The sto- mach is of an oblong figure, and from the prey con- tained in it, which commonly preserves its natural. form, though reduced to a gelatinous softness, it may be concluded that digestion is performed in it entirely by the dissolvent power of some peculiar menstruum, and not by any trituration. The intestines are, in general, very short, making only three turns, the last of which terminates in a common outlet or vent, placed towards the middle of the lower part of the body. The appendicular or secondary intestines (coeca) are in these animals extremely numerous, composing a large groupe of worm-like processes, all ultimately terminating in two larger canals opening into the first intestine, imto which they discharge their peculiar fluid. The liver in Fishes is remarkably large, and com- monly lies almost wholly on the left side: it con- tains a great proportion of oil or fat. The spleen is placed near the back-bone, and at a place where it is subject to an alternate constric- tion and dilatation from the pressure of the air-bag which is situated in its neighbourhood. | The ova, in the females, are disposed into two large oblong bodies, ene on each side ef the abdo- 4, | PISCES. men; and the milt or soft roe, in the male, appears in a similar form in the same part. The swimming or air-bladder is an oblong, nine membranous bag, in which is contained a large quantity of elastic air: this organ lies close to the back bone near a red glandular substance, and has a strong muscular coat, by virtue of which it can occasionally contract itself, and, by condensing the contained air, cause the body to be. specifically heavier than the water, so as to descend, or, by being again dilated, enable it to ascend ‘by be- coming specifically lighter, by which means the ani- mal is enabled to swim in any height of water at pleasure*. Some fishes, as the Flounder, and the whole tribe of flat-fish, are observed to be unpro- vided with this curious: organ, and -are in conse- quence obliged to remain always at the bottom of the waters they inhabit.. From the anterior part of the bag pass out two processes or appendices, which, according to the anatomists of the F'rench academy, terminate in the fauces: in some fishes the air-bag communicates with the cesophagus, and in others with the stomach. The peritonzeum, or membrane investing the con- tents of the abdomen, is thin, and of a blackish colour. : The heart is of a triangular form, with the base downwards, and the apex upwards: it consists of one auricle and one ventricle. The aorta sends out * The complete theory of the operation of the air-bladder in fishes does not seem to haye- been yet explained by any phy- Siologist, PISCES. 3 numberless branches to the branchiz or gills, on which it is distributed into subdivisions so small as to escape the eye, unless assisted by a glass. ‘The blood is red, and the red particles are not round, as in the Mammalia, but oval as in the Amphibia. ~The gills or branchiz are seated beneath two large slits or openings on each side the head, and are analogous to the lungs in other animals. ‘Their general form is semicircular, and they commonly consist of four double rows of fringed vascular fibrils attached to four bony arches. ‘The gills are per- petually subject to alternate motion and pressure from the water: they are guarded externally by the gill-covers or opercula, constituting a pair of strong flaps on each side, and which are furnished with a lateral membrane, dilatable at pleasure by a certain number of bony radu or arches, in such a manner as to enable the animal either to open or close the gill- covers. The blood, after being thrown by the heart into the ramifications of the gills, is collected again by a vast number of small veins, somewhat in the same manner as in the Mammalia, but instead of returning to the heart again, these vessels unite and form a descending aorta without the intervention of an auricle and ventricle. _ The absorbent system in Fishes is thus elaborately described by Dr. Monro, who gives the Haddock as a general example. On the middle of the belly, immediately below the outer skin, a lymphatic vessel runs upwards from the vent, and receives hranches from the sides ef the belly and the fin below the vent: near the 6 | PISCES. _ head this lymphatic passes between the two pectoral fins, and having got above them, receives their lymphatics: it then goes under the juncture of the two bones which form the thorax, where it opens into a net-work of very large lymphatics which lie close to the pericardium, and almost surrounds the heart: this net-work, besides that part of it behind. the heart, has a large lymphatic on each side, which receives others from the kidney, runs upon the bone of the thorax backwards, and when it has got as far as the middle of that bone, sends off a large branch from its inside to join the thoracic duct: after de- taching this branch it is joined by the lymphatics of the thoracic fins, and soon after by a lymphatic which runs upon the side of the fish: it is formed of branches, which give it a beautiful penniform ap- pearance. Besides these branches, there is another set lying deeper, which accompanies the ribs: after the large lymphatic has been joined by the above- mentioned vessels, it receives others from the gills, orbit, nose, and mouth: a little below the orbit another net-work appears, consisting in part of the vessels above described, and of the thoracic duct : this net-work is very complete, some of its vessels lying on each side the muscles of the gills, and from its internal part a trunk is sent out which terminates in the jugular vein, The lacteals run on each side the mesenteric arteries, anastomosing frequently across those vessels: the receptacle into which they enter is very large in proportion to them, and Consists at its lower part of two branches, one of which lies between the PISCES. 7 Se ennin and stomach, and runs a little way upon the pancreas, receiving the lymphatics of the liver, pancreas, lower part of the stomach, and the lacteals from the greatest part of the small intestines: the other branch of the receptacle receives the lymphatics from the rest of the alimentary canal, The re- ceptacile formed by these two branclies lies on the right side of the upper part of the stomach, and is joined by some lymphatics in that part, and also by some from the sound and gall-bladder, which in this fish adheres to the receptacle: the thoracic duct takes its rise from the receptacle, and lies on the right side of the cesophagus, receiving lymphatics from that part; and running up about half an inch, divides into two ducts, one of which passes over the esophagus to the left side, and the other goes strait upon the right side, passing by the upper part of the kidney, from which it receives some small branches, and soon afterwards is joined by a branch. from the large lymphatic that lies above the bone of the thorax, as formerly mentioned: near this part it likewise sends off a branch to join the duct of: the opposite side; and then, a httle higher, is joined by those large lymphatics from the upper part of the gills and froin the fauces, The thoracic duct, after being joined by these yessels, communicates with the net-work near the orbit, where its lymph is mixed with that of the lymphatics from the posterior part of the gills, and from the superior fins, belly, &c. and then from this net-work a vessel goes into the jugular vein just below the orbit. This last vessel, which may he 8 PISCES. called the termination of the whole system, is very small in proportion to the net-work from which it rises ; and indeed the lymphatics of the part are so large as to exceed by far the size of the sanguiferous vessels. : | The thoracic duct from the left side, having passed under the cesophagus from the right, runs on the inside of the vena cava of the left side, re- ceives a branch from its fellow of the opposite side, and joins the large lymphatics which lie on the left side of the pericardium, and a part. of those which lie behind the heart, and afterwards makes, together with the lymphatics from the gills, upper fins, and side of the fish, a net-work, from which a vessel passes into the jugular vein of this side: in a word, the lymphatics of the left side agree exactly with those of the right. Another part of the system is more deeply seated, lying between the roots of the spinal processes of the back-bone. This part consists of a large trunk that begins from the lower part of the fish, and as it ascends receives branches from the dorsal fins and adjacent parts of the body: it goes up near the, head, and sends a branch to each thoracic duct near its origin. The brain in fishes is formed pretty much in the same way as in fowls; only we may observe that the posterior lobes bear a greater proportion to the anterior. : The organ of smelling is large, and the animals have a power of contracting and dilating the entry to it as they have occasion: it seems to be mostly by their acute smell that they discover their food, PISCES. 9 for their tongue seems not to have been designed for a very nice sensation, being of a pretty firm carfi- laginous substance; and common experience evinces that their sight is not of so much use to them as their smell in searching for their nourishment. If you throw a fresh worm into the water, a fish shall di- stinguish it at a considerable distance ; and that this is not done by the eye is plain from observing that after the same worm has been a considerable time in the water, and lost its smell, no fishes will come near it; but if you take out the bait, and make several little incisions into it, so as to let out more of the odoriferous effluvia, it shall have the same effect as formerly. Now it is certain that had the animals discovered this bait with their eyes, they would have come equally to it in both cases. In consequence of their smell being the principal means they have of discovering their food, we may fre- quently observe them allowing themselves to be carried down with the stream, that they may ascend again leisurely against the current of the water: _ : thus the odoriferous particles swimming in that ~ medium, being applied more forcibly to their organs of smell, produce a stronger sensation. The optic nerves in Fishes are not confounded - with one another in their middle progress betwixt their origin and the orbit, but the one passes over the other without any communication; so that the nerve which comes from the left side of the brain goes distinctly to the right eye, and vice versa. Indeed it should seem not to be necessary for the optic nerves of fishes to have the same kind of con- 10 _ PISCES: nection with each other as those of man have; for their eyes are not placed in the fore-part, but in the sides of the head; and consequently cannot look so - conveniently at any object with both eyes at the same time. : The crystalline lens in Fishes is a complete sphere, and more densé than in terrestrial animals, that the rays of light coming from the water might be suffi- ciently refracted, | As Fishes are continually exposed to injuries in the uncertain element in which they reside, and as they are in perpetual danger of becoming a prey to the larger ones, it was necessary that their eyes should never be shut; and as the cornea is suffi- ciently washed by the element they live in, they are not provided with palpebree: but, as in the current itself the eye must be exposed to several injuries, there was a necessity that it should be sufficiently defended ; which, in effect, it is, by a firm, pellucid membrane, seeming to be a continuation of the cuticula stretched over it: the epidermis is very proper for this purpose, as being insensible, and destitute of vessels, and consequently not liable to obstructions, and thus becoming opake. In the eye of the skate tribe there is a digitated curtain which hangs over the pupil, and which may shut out the light when the animal rests, being somewhat similar to the tunica adnata of other animals. Although it was formerly much doubted whether Fishes possessed the sense of hearing, yet there can be little doubt of it now; since it is found that they have a complete organ of hearing as well as other PISCES. il animals, and likewise that the water in which they live is proved to be a good medium. Fishes, parti- cularly of the skate kind, have a bag at some di- stance behind the eyes, which contains a fluid, and a Soft cretaceous substance, and supplies the place of the vestibule and cochlea: there is a nerve di- stributed upon it, similar to the portio mollis in man: , they have semicircular canals, which are filled with a fluid, and communicate with the bag: they have likewise a meatus externus, which leads to the in- ternal ear. The cod-fish and others of the same shape, have an organ of hearing somewhat similar to the former, but instead of a soft substance con- _ tained in the bag, there is a hard cretaceous stone. The cuticle in Fishes is strong and thick, and is defended by an armature of scales, closely laid over each other: the generality of Fishes have a particular line or series of small ducts running along each side of the body, and discharging a soft. mucus or slimy substance, serving to lubricate the surface of the body. The fins of Fishes are named from their situation on the animal, viz. dorsal or back-fin, pectoral or breast-fins, ventral or belly-fins, anal or vent-fin, and caudal or tail-fin. The ventral fins are considered by Linnzeus as analogous to the feet in quadrupeds, and it is from the situation, presence, or absence of these fins that the Linnean orders of Fishes are instituted, Such as are entirely destitute of ventral fins are termed Pisces apodes, being, as it were, apodal or footless Fishes. Those which have the yentral fins 12 PISCES. placed more forward than the pectoral or breast-fins are termed Jugulares or Jugular Fishes. Those which have the ventral fins situated immediately under the pectoral ones are termed Pisces thoracici, or thoracic Fishes; while those which have the ventral fins situated behind or beyond the pectoral fins are termed Pisces abdominales or abdominal Fishes. There still remains a particular tribe called Car- tilaginous Fishes, Pisces Cartilaginet. This tribe was by Linnzeus separated from the rest, and placed in the class Amphibia, where it constituted the order Nantes. This particular distribution of the cartilagmous Fishes was made on a supposition of their being furnished both with lungs and gills; an idea which seemed confirmed by the observations of Dr. Garden of South Carolina, who, at the request of Linnzeus, examined the organs of the genus Diodon, and found, as he conceived, both external branchize or gills, and internal lungs*. This idea however has * Branchie horum (Nantium) pectinate ut Piscium, sed adnate vasi arcuato cylindrico tubuloso, absque radio osseo, nec piscium similes, nisi externa figura; Branchiostegorum piscium propria structura, eorum larvee singulares, foetus fere extra ovum, defeetus pinnarum ventralium mihi persuasere literis, a D. D. Garden iu America habitante, petere, vellet dissecare Diodontis respirationis organa et inquirere numne pulmones haberent : stupefactus ipse dissecuit pisces, reperitque et branchias externas, et pulmones internos, quos descriptos et conservatos remisit, unde constitit eos annumerandos Nantibus,—Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 348. PISCES. 13 been shewn by later physiologists to have been not | strictly correct ; the supposed lungs being in reality only a peculiar modification of gills. The carti- laginous fishes, as their name imports, differ from others in having a cartilaginous instead of a bony skeleton. * 0G LOT EAQIYL NG BUY PAA UCpe a Lf AIS LOILE APT] A DIIMS NO WALD N SS eclecin *ANIS UJOOH £E y oe” iS dh S. ORDER APODES. ANGUILLA. EEL: *. Generic Character. Caput leve. Nares tubulose. Oculi cute communi tecti. Membrana branchiostegara- diis decem. ) Corpus teretiusculum, lubri- eum, ys Pinna caude coadunata dorsali analique. _ Spiracula pone caput vel pinnas pectorales. Head smooth. Nostrils tubular. Eyes covered by the com- mon skin. Gill-Membrane ten-rayed. Body roundish, smooth, mu- cous. Dorsal, caudal, and anal fins united. Sptracles behind the head or pectoral fins. COMMON EEL. <\nguilla Vulgaris. 4, olivaceo-fusca subtus subargentea, maxilla inferiore longiore. 16 COMMON EEL. Olive-brown Eel, subargenteous beneath, witlt the lower jaw longer than the uppere Ry Murena Anguilla. M. maxilla inferiore longiore, corpore uni-— colore. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 426. ! al Murzena corpore immaculato, maxilla inferiore sublongiore. Bloch. The common Eel. Tu E Eel, which, in a natural arrangement of the animal world, may be considered as in some degree connecting the fish and serpent tribes, is a native of almost all the waters of the ancient continent, frequenting not only rivers but stagnant waters, and occasionally salt marshes and lakes: it is even found in the spring season in the Baltic and other seas. As a species it is distinguished by its uniform colours, but more particularly by the peculiar elongation of the lower jaw, which advances to some distance beyond the upper: the head is small, and pointed ; the nostrils small and cylindric ; and at avery small distance from each eye are a kind of additional pair, of a lengthened shape, but not cylindric: the eyes are small, round, and covered | by a transparent skin united with the common in-. tegument of the body: the opening of the mouth is small, and both jaws and palate are beset with several ranges of small sharp teeth: on each side both of the upper and under jaw are observed several minute pores, through which exsudes a viscid mucus: the orifices of the gills are very small, of a lunated shape, and are seated close to the pectoral fins, which are small and. of an ovate shape: the COMMON EEL: 17: back-fin commences at some distance beyond the. head, and is continued into the tail-fin, which is | also united with the vent-fin ; the latter being con- tinued as far as the vent, which is situated near the middle of the belly. The general colour of the Eel is olive-brown on the back, and silvery on the sides and beneath: the fins are slightly tinged with violet, and sometimes margined with pale red: the Eel is however occasionally seen of a very dark colour, with scarce any silvery tinge, and sometimes yellowish, or greenish: those are observed to be most beautiful which inhabit the clearest waters, The skin of the Eel is proverbially slippery, being furnished with a large proportion of mucus: it is also furnished with small, deeply-imbedded scales, which are not. easily visible in the living animal, but are very conspicu- ous in the dried skin: their form is a long oval, their colour white, and their texture finely reticular: these scales appear to have been first observed, or at least described, by the celebrated Leewenhoek, who has figured them with great accuracy and elegance. ‘The Eel is extremely tenacious of life, and may be kept many hours, or even days, out of water, provided it be placed in a cool situation: it is even affirmed that it voluntarily leaves the water at certain periods, and wanders about meadows and moist grounds in quest of particular food, as snails &c. it is also said to be fond of new-sown peas, which it has been observed to root out of the ground and devour during the night.. If we may credit Albertus magnus, it has been known, during very . severe frosts, to take refuge in adjoining hay-ricks : Vriv. Pi. 2 1s COMMON EEL: several having been discovered coiled together in such situations. The usual food of the Eel con- sists of water insects, worms, and the spawn or eggs of other fishes: it will also devour almost any decayed animal substance which it happens oc- casionally to find in its native waters. The Eel is viviparous; producing its numerous young during the decline of summer: these at their first exclusion are very small. The errors of the ancients on this subject, and even of some modern writers, are too absurd to be seriously mentioned in the present enlightened period of science: it appears however that both eggs and ready-formed young are oc- casionally observed in the same individuals, as is known-to be the case also with several other animals. It is pretended by several authors that the Eel can- not bear the water of the Danube, and is therefore never found in that river; but Dr. Bloch assures us that this is not strictly true; though it is but rarely found either in that river or the Volga. During the day the Eel commonly lies concealed in its hole, which it forms pretty deep beneath the banks, and which is furnished with two outlets, in order to facilitate its escape if disturbed. During the winter it chiefly conceals itself beneath the mud, and in spring-time commences its excursions into rivers, &c. In some parts of Europe the Eel-fishery is of surprising magnitude. We are informed by Dr. Bloch that in some places near the mouths of the Baltic so great a quantity are taken that they cannot be used fresh, but are smoked and salted for sale, and conveyed by waggon-loads into Saxony, COMMON EEL. 19 Silesia, &c. In Jutland it is said that 2000 have — been taken at asingle sweep of the net. In the Garonne 60,000 are said to have been taken in one day by a single net. As a food the Eel is by the general run of medical writers rather condemned than recommended: it appears however to be highly nutritious, and is probably only hurtful when taken to excess*. | | | The general size of the Eel is from two to three feet, but it is sometimes said, though very rarely, to. attain to the length of six feet and to the weight of twenty pounds. It is a fish of slow growth, and is supposed to live to a very considerable age, _* That well-known old Manual the Schola Saleraitana declares the eating of eels to be hurtful to the throat. > Faucibus anguille prave sunt si comedantur : Qui physicam non ignorant hoc testificantur. _ Which, (to reduce the translation to the same standard with the original), might be thus rendered. Fating of eels is hurtful to the throat : So say physicians of no common note. + In many editions tocibus. 20 CONGER EEL. Anguilla Conger. A, Unie sues subargentea, linea laterali ~ albo-punctata. " Brown Eel, silvery beneath, with the lateral line speckled with white. : Murena Anguilla. M. maxilla inferiore longiore, corpore uni- colore. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 426. . Abia M. rostro tentaculis duobus, linea lateral ex punctis albida. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1135. Conger. Will. ichth. p. 111. t. G. 6. Tur Conger is so nearly allied in general appear- ance to the common eel that it might at first view be considered as the same species: it is however in general of a darker colour on the upper part, and of a brighter or more silvery tinge beneath ; the whiteness on the sides being sometimes disposed into a kind of large beds or patches: the upper jaw is rather longer than the lower, and the lateral line is broad and whitish; being marked by a row of small white specks: the size of the Conger is also, when full grown, far superior to that of the common eel. .This fish is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean and the Northern seas, as well as of those surround- ing some of the American islands. It seems how- ever to arrive at a larger size in the Mediterranean than elesewhere; specimens being sometimes taken of the length of ten feet, and of the weight of more than 100 pounds. The Conger is only an occasional visitant of fresh waters, residing generally in the sea. In the winter CONGER EEL. me | it is supposed to imbed itself under the soft mud, and to lié in an,inactive state; but on the approach of spring it emerges from its concealment and visits the mouths of rivers. In the mouth of the Severn incredible quantities of young Congers are annually taken during the month of April under the name of Elvers: these are taken in a kind of sieve made of hair-cleth and fixed to the end of a long pole: the fisherman standing on the edge of the water during the tide puts in his net as far as he can reach, and drawing it out again takes multitudes at every sweep, and will take as many during one tide as will fill a bushel: they are dressed and reckoned very delicate. The Conger in its full-grown state is also con- sidered as a useful article’ of food in many parts of Europe, where it forms an article of commerce. Great numbers are taken on the coast of Cornwall, and are exported into Spain and Portugal, par- ticularly to Barcelona: some are taken by a single hook and line, but because that method is tedious, and does not answer the expence of time and labour, they are chiefly caught by bulters, which are strong lines, five hundred feet long, with about, sixty hooks, each eight feet asunder, baited with pilchards or mackrel: the bulters are sunk to the ground by a stone fastened to them, and sometimes such a num- ber of these are tied together as to reach a mile: the fishermen are said to be very fearful of a large Conger, lest it should endanger their legs by cling- ing round them: they therefore kill them as soon as possible, which is said to be best done by striking ae SPOTTED EEL. | them on the belly: they are then slit and hung on a frame to dry in order to drain away the oil or fat which is extremely plentiful, insomuch that a Conger of a hundred weight is said to waste to twenty pounds during the process. The Conger is a very voracious animal, preying on the smaller fishes, as well as on various kinds of — crustacea, and particularly on the smaller kind of crabs during their soft state after bovine cast their shell, SPOTTED EEL. Anguilla Ophis. 4. alba, fusco maculata, cauda aptera. White Eel, spotted with brown, with finless tail. Murzna Ophis. MM. cauda aptera fee cauda tereti, damm Syst. Nat. p. 425. : Murzena maculata cauda aptera. Bloch. 5. p. 31. 116k Serpens marinus maculosus. Will. append. p. 19. t. G. 9. Tuts species is readily distinguished from both the preceding by its remarkable colours, as well as by the more slender form of the body in proportion to its length: the fins are also much wider, and the tail is naked towards the tip; both dorsal and caudal | fins terminating at some distance from that part: the whole body is of a silvery white colour, marked on the back and sides by a triple row of large dark- brown oblong spots or patches: the head is rather slender; the eyes of moderate size; the mouth wide, the teeth strong and slightly curved, and the pectoral ey MIN IN, r Why 3) SPOTTED EEL. AA AARORINNN NX TL \ ROMAN MURENA . — SNAKE EEL. a3 fins small and white. This fish is chiefly found in the Indian seas, but is said to have been occasion- ally met with in the Mediterranean, &c. It is of the same predacious nature with the rest of this genus, and is said to arrive at a very considerable size, though the specimens usually brought into Europe seldom exceed two or three feet in length. SNAKE EEL. Anguilla Serpens. 4. albida rostro elongato, cauda aptera acuta, corpore terett. Whitish Eel, with lengthened snout, finless sharp-pointed tail, and round body. M. Ophis. MM. cauda aptera cuspidata, corpore terett, Lin. Syst, Nat. p. 425. Serpens marinus. Salvian? Gesn? Aldr? Will? t. G. 4. ‘Tuts species, which is of the same general form with the preceding, is a native of the Mediter- ranean and northern seas, where it often arrives at a very considerable size, and is commonly known by the title of sea-serpent or snake: the head is long and slender, and the gape very wide: the teeth very sharp, those in the front of the mouth being longer than those on the sides: the general colour of the animal is a very pale yellowish brown above, and bluish white beneath: the dorsal and anal fins are shallow, tinged with black toward the edges, and terminate at some little distance before the tip of the tail, which is not of a compressed ~ \ DA, RONDELETIAN EEL. — form, but round and sharp-pointed: the pettoral fins are small, oval, and furnished with sixteen rays. The habits of this species resemble those of the pre- ceding, and it is said to swim with great vigour and activity. It seems to have given rise to the fabulous narratives recorded by some authors of the vast sea-serpents supposed to be sometimes seen in ‘various parts of the northern ocean. RONDELETIAN. EEL. Anguilla Myrus. 4. nigricans, rostro elongato. Dusky Eel, with elongated snout. Murena Myrus. M. pinna ambiente alba, margine nigro. Lin, Syt. Nat. p, 427. M. rostro acuto lituris albis vario, margine Ppinnz deals nigro. <Arted. gen. 24. syn. 40. Myrus Rondeletii.? Gesn. Aldr. Will. p. 109. Ir the Murzena Myrus of Linnzeus be the Myrus of Rondeletius, it is thus described by that author. It bears a greater general resemblance to a serpent than to an eel; haying a long sharp snout, and a thin, round, blackish body, without either spots or scales: it has one branchial orifice on each side, and is furnished with two shallow fins of a skinny substance ; one running from the neck to the tail, and the other from the vent to the same part; the border of both being black, as in the Conger: the sides, from the beginning of the neck, are marked with certain yellow specks, more apparent in the RONDELETIAN EEL. 25 living than in the dead animal: the flesh is tender, and has few or no spines. Linnzeus observes that the head is attenuated in front, and that there are two short tentacula on the upper lip. This animal ‘isa native of the Mediterranean, and a supposed variety, entirely of an ash-colour, is mentioned by Forskal as.a native of the Red Sea. MURZENA, MURAINA. Generic Character. Corpus anguilliforme. || Body eel-shaped. Pinne pectorales nulle. Pectoral fins none. Spiraculum utrinque ad la- }| Spéracle on each side the tera colli. neck. ROMAN MURANA. Murzena Romana. WM. olivaceo-fusca, flavo variata. Olive-brown Murena with yellow variegations. Murena Helena. M. pinnis pectoralibus nullis. Lan. Syst. Nat. p. 425. | Gymnothorax Murena. Bloch, ichth. 12. p. 67. & Muraena Helena, 5. p. 28. t. 153. Murena omnium autorum. Will. ichth. p. 103. t. G. 1. Tu IS fish, the celebrated favourite of the ancient Romans, who considered it as one of the most luxurious articles of the table, is found in consider- able plenty about several of the Mediterranean coasts, where it arrives at a size at least equal, if not superior, to that of an eel. Its colour is a dusky greenish brown, pretty thickly variegated on all parts with dull yellow subangular marks or patches, which are disposed in a somewhat. different manner in different individuals, and are generally scattered over with smaller specklings of brown; the whole a x of ‘ _ ROMAN MURENA. | 24 forming a kind of obscurely reticular pattern, as expressed in the annexed engraving: the head is rather small; the mouth moderately wide, and the teeth sharp: the dorsal and caudal fins, which are shallow, and covered by the common skin, are united, in the same manner as in the eel, and are of a dusky colour with whitish spots. The Murzena is capable of living with equal facility both in fresh and salt water, though principally found at sea. In its manners it much resembles the eel and. the -conger, being extremely voracious, and preying on a variety of smaller animals. The ancients, who kept it in reservoirs appropriated for the purpose, are said to have sometimes tamed it to such a degree as to come at the signal of its master in order to receive its food. Pliny records a most dis- gusting and barbarous instance of tyranny practised by one Vedius Pollio, who was in the habit of caus- ing his offending slaves to be thrown into the re- servoirs in which he kept his Murzenie; expressing a savage delight in thus being able to taste in an improved state their altered remains. The emperor Augustus, according to Seneca, honoured this man with his presence at one of his entertainments ; when a slave happening to break a valuable chrystal vase, was immediately ordered to be thrown to the Murznz ; but the poer boy, flying to the feet of Augustus, requested rather to die any death than thus to be made the food of fishes. The emperor, being informed of this extraordinary mode of punish- ment, immediately ordered all the chrystal vessels in the house to be broken before his face, and the 28 CHAIN-STRIPED MURANA. ponds of the barbarous owner to be completely filled up; at the same time giving the slave his freedom, and sparing the life of the offender in consideration of former friendship. SPOTTED MURAENA. Murena Guttata. M. glauca, guttis nigris, macula majori utrinque prope caput, orsk. F. Arab. p. 22. No.1. Lin. “Syst. Nat. Gel. p. 1135. ae Glaucous Murena, bedropped with black, with a larger spot on each side near the head. OssErvED by Forskal: native of the Red Sea: has a rising callus between the eyes, gold-coloured irides, upper lip shorter than the lower, and the - dorsal and anal fins united at the tail. | CHAIN-STRIPED MURAENA. - Murena Catenata. MM. fusca maculis catenatis albis transversim = _fasciata. | : Brown Murena, transversely fasciated with white chain- shaped spots. Gymnothorax catenatus. Bloch. 12. p. 69. t. 415. f. 1. ‘ Murena seu Conger Brasiliensis. Seb. mus. 2. t. 69. f. 4. _ Tus species, of which the individuals hitherto described appear to be of the size of a smallish eel, is of a brown colour, crossed by large chain-like’ 7 Ul eulA \\\ ce ‘ C N\ \\ AN ‘arreS) YJOI . VN AY SLL aL dU ot 2 aS ei TAL Gil = : ll GeN LV F ) ~y z ‘ ¥ , > ‘ \ x . , : \ Beg RETICULATED MURENA. | 99 white bands, somewhat irregular in their form on different parts of the animal, and marked by nume- rous brown spots and freckles: the head and orifice of the mouth are small, and the jaws armed with numerous close-set small and sharp teeth: the tongue connate with the palate: the eyes small and blue: the nostrils small, simple, and placed very near the eyes: the snout furnished at the tip with two very small setaceous cirri or beards: the branchial orifices are very small: the lateral line scarce perceptible: the dorsal fin commences at a considerable distance from the head, and is con- tinued round the tail where it meets the anal fin. This fish is a native of Surinam. RETICULATED MURAENA. Mureena Reticulata. M. albida, fasciis transversis fuscis, laterabus corporis fusco reticulatis, puna dorsalt longitudine trunct. Whitish Murena, with transverse brown bands ; the sides of the body reticulated with brown, and the dorsal fin as long as the body. Gymnothorax reticularis. Bloch. 12. p. 71. t. 416. In size and general form this resembles the pre- ceding species, but differs in colours and in the dis- position: of the dorsal fin, which commences im- mediately at the back of the head, and is continued | round the tail where it unites with the vent-fin: the head and mouth are small; the eyes rather large, and situated very near the upper lip: the jaws are 30 ' AFRICAN MURZANA. edged with sharp, distant teeth, of which those in front are longer than the rest: the colour of the animal is white, with a slight tinge of yellow, and marked throughout by transverse brown bands, continued across the fins: on the sides of the body the appearance of the bands is indistinct, on account of the numerous reticularly disposed variegations of light brown with which those: parts are covered, Native of the Indian seas. AFRICAN MURANA, Murena Africana. M. fusca, albido marmorata, pinna dorsale longitudine trunet. Brown Murena marbled with whitish variegations ; the dersal fin the length of the body. Gymnothorax afer. Bloch. 12. p. 73. ¢. ‘sap Tue colour of this species is brown, finomndely marbled with pale or whitish variegations in such a manner as to bear some resemblance to those of the common or Roman Murena; these variegations are continued on the fins which are moderately broad in proportion to the body: the dorsal fin begins immédiately behind the head, and is con- tinued round the tail where it meets the vent-fin, as. in others of this genus: the head is of moderate size; the eyes large; the mouth very wide, and armed with sharp, distant teeth, those in front ex- ceeding the rest in size: in the palate are also situated three or four large teeth in a longitudinal ZEBRA MORENA, ol direction. This species is a native of the African seas, being found near the coasts of Guinea, where, though known to ve a good food, it is not eaten by the negroes, who consider it as‘a kind of sea snake. ZEBRA MURENA, Morena Zebra. M. atro-fusca, fasciis transversis linearibus distantibus albis, subtus irregulariter concurrentibus. Blackish-brown finless Murzena, with transverse, linear, di- stant, white bands, meeting irregularly beneath. Zebra Gymnothorax. Naturalist’s Miscellany. pl. 322. _ Serpens marina Surinamensis foemina Murzenis valde affinis. Seb. 3.t. 70. f. 3. | Tuts species, which grows to the length of two _ or three feet, is a native of the American seas, and is readily distinguished by the strongly marked di- stribution of its colours; the rich brown, which constitutes the greund-colour, being surrounded, at considerable distance, by narrow, white bands, which en the lower part of the sides and under the abdo- men wnite or anastomose here and there, so as to form subtriangular markings in some parts and rounded or ocellated ones in others: the head is rather large or tumid, and the mouth and eyes smali: there is no distinct appearance either of dorsal or caudal fins. ‘This animal seems to have been first deseribed by Seba. A beautiful specimen - oceurs in the Museum of Mr. John Hunter. \ SOUTHERN MURAENA. ae sia Murena Echidna. M. fusca, wae? none capite piste collo turgidissimo.. Brown Murena, with black variessitienes depressed head, a very turgid neck, . * Murena Echidna. M. pinnis pectoralibus nullis, capite depresso, corpore fusco nigroque vario, statim pone caput turgidissimo. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1135. an Native of the Southern ocean: grows to a large size, measuring from four to five feet in length and being of a very considerable thickness: the head is small and depressed, but the neck immediately beyond the occiput swells into a very large size, -and again diminishes at the commencement of the body: the eyes are small; the mouth wide, and furnished with numerous sharp teeth. The flesh is said to be excellent, but the animal has a peculiarly forbidding appearance on account of its colours and form. SPECKLED MURENA. Murzna Meleagris. MM. nigricans, maculis creberrimis albis - errorata. ._- Blackish Mureena, very thickly speckled with white. Murena Meleagris. Speckled’Eel. Nat. Miscell. pl. 220. Descrizep from a specimen in the British Mu- seum. Length about two feet: colour deep-brown, & GREEN MURANA. 33 very thickly beset on all parts with innumerable small round white spots, which are somewhat less regular or more confluent on the head and breast than elsewhere: eyes small; mouth wide; teeth sharp and numerous. Native of the Southern ocean. COLUBRINE MURANA. Murena Colubrina. M. corpore fasciis annulatis alternatan flacis nigrisyue variegato. _Murena with the body variegated by alternate yellow and black bands. Murena Colubrina. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1133. Lenetu about two feet: habit long and slender : colour pale, or yellowish-white: marked through- out by numerous equidistant widish bands of black - or brown, passing through the fins: body said to be covered with very small scales: snout sharp- pointed; eyes very small. Native of the Indian Seas. GREEN MURAENA. Murena Viridis. M. viridis, maculis creberrimts rufo-fuscis. Grass-green Murzna, with very numerous rufous-brown spots. Serpens Marinus Americanus, &c. Seb. 3.¢. 70. f. 2. Tuts, which is sufficiently described as to its general appearance by the specific character an- ee, £1, : 3 a GREEN, MURENA. nexed, is considered by Seba as a kind of marine snake, and is represented with a bifid or serpentine. tongue; but this is probably an error of the en- graver.; the whole habit shewing it to be either of this genus or the followmg one. SYNBRANCHUS. iL ATK BLED Heath SCULP . Wa 5)! / i ‘ Hi } SYNBRANCHUS. SYNBRANCHUS.: Coneria Character. Corpus anguilliforme. Body eel-shaped. Pinne pectorales nulle. Pectoral fins none. Sprraculumunicumsubcollo. || Spiracle single, beneath the neck. "Tus genus differs from the preceding merely in the circumstance of the spiracle or branchial orifice being single, and situated beneath the throat. MARBLED SYNBRANCHUS. _ Synbranchus Marmoratus. $. olivaceo-fuscus, maculis nigri- _ cantibus variatus, corpore subtus flavescente. -Olive-brown Synbranchus, marbled with blackish spots ; oie body yellowish beneath. Synbranchus marmoratus. Bloch. 12. p. 75. t. 418.. Tue general appearance of the animal is that of. a Murzena: its length about two feet and a half: head large, short, and thick: mouth moderately wide, and furnished with several rows of small conical teeth: tongue connate: lips fleshy: nostrils simple, seated near the eyes, which are blue: the 86 PLAIN SYNBRANCHUS. skin of the body is thick and loose: the back is of a deep olive-colour with dusky spots: the belly and sides are of a yellowish cast, and the spots on those parts have a tinge of violet: the dorsal, or rather caudal fin, is extremely remote from the head, and. surrounding the tail unites with the vent-fin; the vent being situated at the distance of some inches from the end of the tail, which terminates acutely. Native of the fresh waters of Surinam. PLAIN SYNBRANCHUS. Synbranchus Immaculatus. S. fuscus immaculatus. _Synbranchus of a plain unvariegated brown colour. Synbranchus immaculatus. Bloch. 12. p. 77. t.419-f. 1. Tuts is much allied in general form to the pre- ,_ ceding, but is considerably smaller, and very differ- ent in colour, bemg nearly of an uniform brown throughout, with the exception of a few very obscure subtransverse dusky shades across the body, and a few whitish marblings on the fins: like the former species it is a native of Surinam. —— of pre fey S PHAGE BRAN CHU ] Q Le) STRATED RO SSS SS SS = SSSs5s SSS S SS SS WS = 2 Ni S _ S : N 8 & s 2603. July 1,Londom, Publ s SPHAGEBRANCHUS. SPHAGEBRANCHUS. Generic Character. Corpus anguilliforme. Body ee|-shaped. Pine pectorales nulle. Pectoral fins none. Speracula duo sub collo. Sprracles two, beneath the neck. ROSTRATED SPHAGEBRANCHUS. Sphagebranchus rostratus. S. capite rostrato. Bloch. 12. p. 79. t, 419. f. 2. Sphagebranchus with the upper lip produced into a snout. Murzena coca. M., apterygia, rostro acutiusculo, Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 426. Th IS genus, which resembles the preceding, except in the circumstance of a double instead of a single branchial aperture beneath the neck, consists at present of a single species only. The specimen mentioned by Dr. Bloch, who appears to have been its first describer, measured about nine inches, and was supposed to be still in a young state: it 1s repre- sented 1 its natural size on the annexed plate, and was of acylindric form, destitute both of fins and scales: the upper jaw was considerably longer than the lower, being produced into a sharpened snout : the eyes were small; the teeth numerous, and the two spiracles or branchial orifices were situated at 38 ROSTRATED SPHAGEBRANCHUS. about the distance of an inch beyond the mouth, immediately beneath the neck or fore-part of the body: the colour of the whole animal was a pale brown. It was received from ‘Tranquebar. The Murena coeca of Linnzeus, from the slight description given in the Systema Natura, seems so nearly allied to the above animal, that theré is some reason for supposing it to be in reality the same*, yy | * Corpus Anguille, absque omni pinna: caput in medio 7, anterius §, ad occiput 7 punctis perforatum: mandibule acumi- nate, dentibus acerosis: sub rostro nares tubulosz: sub collo aperture: branchiarum : anus propior capiti quam caude. KE, Branper. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1135. ~ MONOPTERUS. MONOPTERE. Generic Character. Corpus anguilliforme. Body anguilliform. Nares inter oculos. Nostris placed between the’ eyes. | Pinna caudalis. : Fin caudal. JAVAN MONOPTERE. Monopterus Javanicus. MM. nigricans, cauda peracuté. Monopterus with very sharp-pointed tail. Le Monoptere Javanois. Cepede pisc. 2, p. 139, ‘Tue Monopterus Javanicus, the only animal of this genus hitherto discovered, is thus described by the Count de la Cepede, from the manuscripts of Commerson, by whom it was’ considered as a species of Murzna. The body is serpentiform, viscous, and destitute of conspicuous scales: the head thick, compressed, enlarging towards the back part, and terminated in front by a rounded muzzle: the gape is rather wide; the upper jaw scarce projecting » beyond the lower; both being furnished with short close teeth, like those of a file: a row of similar teeth is also situated in the inside of the mouth around the palate: the base of the tongue, which is 4.0 JAVAN MONOPTERE. cartilaginous, and hollowed above into a channel, is furnished with two whitish tubercles: the openings of the nostrils are not tubular, nor are they situated, as in most fishes, before the eyes, but above them: the gill-covers are soft and flaccid, appearing like a duplicature of the skin: the gill-membrane has only three rays, and the branchize are only three in number on each side: the bony arches which sup- port them are but little bowed, and have no denti- culated appearance or asperity: the caudal fin has no perceptible rays, and the tail itself being very compressed, resembles the shape of.a two-edged sword-blade: the lateral line, which is nearer the back than the belly, extends from the gills to the extremity of the tail, and is almost of a gold-colour: the back is of a livid brown or blackish, and the sides have a similar tinge, with small transverse ferruginous bands: the belly is also«of this colour : the general length of the animal is about seyen decimetres ; the circumference, in the thickest part of the body, one decimetre; and the weight more than a hectogramme. ‘This fish is a native of the | Indian seas, and is very common about the coasts of Java, where it is considered as an excellent food. WAN SANNA “ey ‘ 4 4 R A i D) K \ Sy Y MSF S LYELL TS 3 y Y 7 fy Se iit rl Na \\ Sane WY WS GYMNOTUS. GYMNOTE. _ Generic Character. Caput operculis Jateralibus. Tentacula duo ad labium su- perius. é Ocult cute communi tecti. Membranabranchiostega ra- diis quinque. Corpus compressum, subtus ‘pinna carinatum, dorso (plerisque) apterygio. Head with lateral opercula. Tentacula two on the upper lip. Eyes covered by the common skin. : | Gill-nembrane five-rayed. Body compressed, without dorsal fin(in most species), but carmated by a fin beneath. ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. Gymnotus Electricus. Gymnotus anguilliformis fuscus, cauda obtusa. ¥ Anguilliform brown Gymnote, with obtuse tail. Gymnotus electricus. obtusissuma anal annexa. Gymunotus electricus. G. nudus dorso apterygio, pinna caudali Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 427. Bloch. ichth, 5. p. 38. ¢. 156. Tue peculiar species of electricity or Galvanism exerted at pleasure by this extraordinary animal is such as greatly to surpass that of the Torpedo, so long the subject of admiration both in ancient and modern times. ‘The electric Gymnotus is a native of the warmer regions of Africa and America, 42 ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. where it inhabits the larger rivers, and is parti-. cularly found in those of Surinam. In Africa it is said chiefly to occur in the branches of the river Senegal. It is a fish of a disagreeable appearance ; bearing a general resemblance to a large eel, though somewhat thicker in proportion, and of a much darker colour, being commonly of an uniform blackish brown. It is usually seen of the length of three or four feet, but is said to arrive at a far larger size, specimens occasionally occurring of six, seven, or even ten feet in length. It was first made known to the philosophers of Europe about the year 1671, when its wonderful properties were an nounced to the French academy by Monsr. Richer, one of the gentlemen sent out by the academy to conduct some mathematical observations in Cay- enne. ‘This account however seems to have been received with a degree of cautious scepticism by the major. part of European naturalists, and it was not till towards the middle of the late century that a full and general conviction appears to have taken place; the observations of Monsr. Condamine, Mr. Ingram, Mr. Gravesend, and others, then conspir- ing to prove that the power of this animal consists in a species of real electricity, being conducted by similar conducting substances, and intercepted by others of an opposite nature. Thus, on touching _ the fish with the fingers, the same sensation is per- ceived as on touching a charged vial; being some- _ times felt as far as the elbows; and if touched by both hands, an electric shock is conveyed through the breast in the usual manner. Fermin, in par- SLECTRICAL GYMNOTE. 0 a ticular, who, during his residence in Surinam, had frequent opportunities of examining the animal, demonstrated by experiment that fourteen slaves, holding each other by the hands, received the shock at the same instant; the first touching the fish with a stick*, and the last dipping his hand into the water in which it was kept. ‘The experiments of Dr. Bancroft were equally satisfactory. After this, viz. about the year 1773, Mr. Williamson, in a letter from Philadelphia to Mr. Walsh, so celebrated for his observations relative to the electricity of the Torpedo, communicated his own highly satisfactory experiments on the Gymnotus. On touching the animal with one-hand, in such a manner as to irritate it considerably, while the other was held at a small distance from it in the water, he experienced as strong a shock as from a charged Leyden vial. The shock was also readily communicated through a circle formed by eight or ten persons at once; the person at one extremity putting his hand in the water, near the fish, while the other touched the animal. It would be tedious to recite all the various modifications of these experiments, and it is sufficient to add, that all conspired to prove the genuine voluntary electricity of the animal; though occasionally exhibiting some variations from the phenomena of common electricity. It is by this’ extraordinary faculty that the Gymnotus supports its existence: the smaller fishes and other animals which happen to approach it, being instantly * Probably a green or moist one. 44 ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. stupified, and thus falling an easy prey to’ the electrical tyrant. So powerful is the~shock which this fish, in its native waters, is capable of exerting, that it is said to deprive almost entirely of sense and motion those who are exposed to its approach, and is therefore much dreaded by those who bathe in the rivers it inhabits. A very accurate description of the exterior form of the Gymnotus was drawn up by the late ingenious Dr. Garden of Charles Town in South Carolina, addressed to the celebrated Mr. Ellis; and an equally accurate description of its internal structure, and more particularly of its electric or Galvanic organs, is given by Mr. Hunter. Both these are printed in the 65th volume nf the Philosophical Transactions. “The largest of these ro says Dr. Garden, was three feet eight inches in length, when extend- ing itself most, and might have been from ten to fourteen inches in circumference about the thickest part of the body. The head is large, broad, flat, smooth, and impressed here and there with holes, | as if perforated with a blunt needle, especially to- wards the sides, where they are more regularly ranged in a line on each side. ‘The rostrum is obtuse and rounded. The upper and lower jaws are of an equal length, and the gape is large. The nostrils are two on each side; the first large and tubular, and elevated above the surface ; the others small, and level with the skin, placed immediately behind the verge of the rostrum, at the distance of an inch asunder. ‘The eyes are small, flattish, and | ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. 45 of a blueish coleur, placed about three quarters of an inch behind the nostrils, and more towards the sides of the head. ‘The whole head seems to be well supported ; but whether. with bones or carti-_ lages I could not learn. ‘The body is large, thick, and roundish, for a considerable distance from the head, and then gradually grows smaller, but at the same time deeper, or becomes of an acimaciform shape, to the point of the tail, which is rather blunt. There are many light-coloured spots on the back and sides of the body, placed at considerable di- stances in regular lines, but more numerous and distinct towards the tail. When the fish was swim- ming, it measured six inches in depth near the middle, from the upper part of the back to the lower edge of the fin, and it could not be more than two inches broad on the back at that place. The whole body, from about four inches below the head, seems to be clearly distinguished mto four different longitudinal parts or divisions. The upper part or back is roundish, of a dark colour, and separated from the other parts on each side by the lateral lines; which, taking their rise at the base of the head, just above the pectoral fins, ran down the sides, gradually converging, as the fish grows smaller, to the tail, and make so visible a depression or fur- row in their course, as to distinguish this from the second part or division, which may be properly called the body, or at least, appears to be the strong muscular part of the fish. This second di- Vision is of a lighter and more clear blueish colour than the upper or back part, and seems to swell! ~ 40 ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. ~ out somewhat on each side, from the depression of the lateral lines; but towards the lower or under part, is again contracted, or sharpened into, the third part or carina. This carina or keel is very distinguishable from the other two divisions, by its. thinness, its apparent laxness, and by the reticulated skin of a more grey or light colour, with which it is — covered. When the animal swims gently in pretty deep water, the rhomboidal reticulations of the skin of this carina are very discernible; but when the water is shallow, or the depth of the carma is con- tracted, these reticulations appear like many irre- gular longitudinal plicae. The carina begins about six or seven inches below the base of the head, and gradually widening or deepening as it goes along, reaches down to the tail, where it 1s thinnest. It seems to be of a strong muscular nature. .Where it first takes its rise from the body of the fish, it seems to be about one inch, or one inch and a half thick, and is gradually sharpened to a thin, edge, where the fourth and last part is- situated ; viz. a long, deep, soft, wavy fin, which takes its rise about three or four inches at most below the ~ head, and runs down along the sharp edge of the earina to the extremity of the tail. When it first rises it is not deep, but gradually deepens or widens as it approaches the tail. It is of avery pliable soft consistence, and seems rather longer than the _ body. . The situation of the vent in this fish is very singular, being placed underneath, and being about an inch more forward than the pectoral fins, and. consequently considerably nearer the rostrum. ed ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. 4G There are two pectoral (if I may call them so) fins, placed one on each side, just behind the head, over the foramina spiratoria, which are small, and gene- rally covered with a lax skin, situated in the axille of these fins. ‘These fins are small for the size of the fish, being scarcely an inch in length, and of a very thin, delicate consistence, and orbicular shape. They seem to be chiefly useful in supporting and raising the head of the fish when he wants to breathe, which he does every four or five. minutes, by raising his mouth out of the water. This shews that he has lungs and is amphibious, and the fora-. mina spiratoria seem to indicate his having branchiz. likewise* ; but this I only offer as a conjecture, not being certain of the fact. I must now mention the appearances of a number of small cross bands, an- nular divisions, or rather rugee of the skin of the body. ‘They reach across the body down to the base of the carina on each side ; but those that cross the back seem to terminate at the lateral lines, _ where new rings take their rise, not exactly in the same line, and run down to the carina. This gives. the fish somewhat of a worm-like appearance; and indeed it seems to have some of the properties of this tribe, for it has a power of lengthening or shortening its body to a certain degree, for its own conyeniency, or agreeably to its own inclination. I have seen this specimen, which I have measured three feet eight inches, shorten himself to three feet two inches; but besides this power of lengthen- * ‘This proved an erroneous idea. 48 ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. ing or shortening his body, he can swim forwards or backwards with apparently equal ease to himself, which is another property of the vermicular tribe. When he swims forwards, the undulations or wavy motions of the fin and carina begin from the upper part, and move downwards; but when he swims backwards, and the tail goes foremost, the undula- tions of the fin begin at the extremity of the tail or fin, and proceed in succession from that backwards to the upper part of the body: in either case he swims equally swift. Every now and then the fish lays himself on one side, as it were, to rest himself, and then the four divisions of the body above mentioned are very distinctly seen, viz. the vermiform appear- ance of the two upper divisions; the retiform ap- pearance of the carina, and the last or dark-coloured fin, whose rays seem to be exceedingly soft and flexible, and entirely at the command of the strong muscular carina. When he is taken out of the water and laid on his belly, the carina and fin lie on one side, in the same manner as the ventral fin of the Tetraodon does, when he creeps on the ground. J have been the longer and more parti- cular in the description of the external structure of © this animal’s body, because I think, as it is of a most singular nature, and endowed with some amaz- — ing properties, even the most minute circumstance I was able to observe relating to it should be men- tioned. The power it has of giving an electrical shock to any person, or to any number of persons who joi hands together, the extreme person on each side touching the fish, is its most singular and a ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE: AQ astonishing property. ‘The five we have here are possessed of this power in a very great degree, and communicate the shock to one person, or to any number of persons, either by the immediate touch of the fish with the hand, or by the intervention of any metalline rod. The keeper says that when first caught, they could give a much stronger shock by a metalline conductor than they can do at present. The person who is to receive the shock must take the fish with both hands, at some considerable di- ‘stance: asunder, so as to form the communication ; otherwise he will not receive it; at least I never ‘Saw’ any one shocked from valdign hold of it with ‘one hand only: though some have assured me that they were shocked by laying one hand on him. I amyself have taken hold of the largest with one hand often, without ever receiving a shock; but I never touched it with both hands, at a little distance asunder, without feeling a smart shock. I have often remarked, that when it is taken hold of with ‘one hand, and the other hand is put into the water over its body, without touching it, the person re- ceived a smart shock; and Ihave observed the same effect follow, when a number joined hands, and the person at one extremity of the circle took hold of or touched the fish, and the person’at the other ex- tremity put his hand into the water, over the body ‘of the fish. The shock was communicated through the whole circle as smartly as if both the extreme ‘persons had touched the fish. In this it seems to differ widely from the ‘Torpedo, or else we are much misinformed of the manner in which the benumbing WeSiv. P. I. 4 50 ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE: effect of that fish is communicated. The shock viable our Surinam fish gives seems to be wholly elec- trical; and all the phenomena or properties of it exactly resemble those of the electric aura of our atmosphere when collected, as far as they are dis- coverable from the several trials made on this fish. This stroke is communicated by the same con- ductors, and intercepted by the interposition of the same original electrics or electrics per se, as they are called. The keeper of these fish informed me that he caught them in Surinam river, a great way up, beyond where the salt water reaches; and. that they are a fresh water fish only. He says that they are eaten, and by some people esteemed a great delicacy. They live on fish, worms, or any animal food, if it is cut small, so that they can swallow it. When small live fishes are thrown into the water, they first give them a shock, which Kills, or so stupifies them, that they can swallow them easily. and with- out any trouble. If one of these~small fishes, after it is shocked, and to all appearance dead, be taken out of the vessel where the electrical fish is, and put into fresh water, it will soon revive again. If a larger fish than they can swallow be thrown: inte the water, at a time that they are hungry, they: give him some smart shocks, till he is apparently dead, and then endeavour to swallow: or. suck. him in; but, after several attempts, finding he is too large; they quit him. Upon the most careful inspection of such fish, I could never see any mark of teeth; or the least. wound or scratch upon them, _ When the electrical fish are hungry, they are pretty keen ELECTRICAL G@YMNOTE. 51 after their food; but they are soon satisfied, not being able to contain much at a time. An elec- trical fish of three feet and upwards in length cannot swallow a small fish above three or at most three inches and a half long. I am told that the electrical fish is sometimes found in the river Surinam upwards of twenty feet in length, and that the stroke or shock proves instant death to the person who re- ceives it.” Mr. Hunter’s accurate description of the electric or Galvanic organs of this curious animal, is as follows : _ © This fish, on the first view, appears very much like an eel, from which resemblance it has most pro- bably got its name; but it has none of the specific properties of that fish. This animal may be con- - sidered, both anatomically and physiologically, as divided into two parts, viz. the common animal part, and a part which is superadded, viz. the pe- culiar organ. I shall at present consider it only with respect to the last; as the first explains no- thing relating to the other, nor any thing re- lating to the animal ceconomy of fish in general. The first, or common animal part, is so con- trived as to exceed what was necessary for itself, in order to give situation, nourishment, and most probably the peculiar property to the second. The last part, or peculiar organ, has an immediate con- nexion with the first ; the body affording it a situa- tion ; the heart nourishment ; and the brain nerves, and probably its peculiar powers. For the first of these purposes the body is extended out in length, 59, ELECTRICAL’ GYMNOTE. being much longer than would’ be sufficient ‘for what may be called its progressive motion. For the real body, or that part where the viscera lye, is situated, with respect to the head, as mn other fish, and is extremely short; so that, according to the ordinary proportions, this should be a very short fish. Its great length, therefore, seems chiefly in- tended to afford a surface for the support of the pecu= liar organ: the tail-part, however, is likewise adapted to the progressive motion of the whole, and to preserve the specific gravity ; for the spine, medulla spinalis, muscles, fin, and air-bladder, are continued through its whole length. Besides which parts, there is a membrane passing from the spine to that fin which runs along the belly or lower edge of the animal. This membrane is broad at the end next to the head, terminating in a point at the tail. It is a support for the abdominal fin, gives a greater sur- face of support for the organ, and sles a — tion between the organs of the two opposite sides. « The organs which produce the peculiar effect of this fish, constitute nearly one half of that part of the flesh in which they are placed, and perhaps make more than one third of the whole animal. There are two pair of these organs, a larger and a smaller; one being placed on each side. The large pair occupy the whole lower or anterior, and | also the lateral part of the body, making the thick- ness of the fore or lower parts-of the animal, and run almost through its whole length, viz. from the abdomen to near the end of the tail. It is broadest on the sides of the fish at the interior end, where ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE.. 58 it incloses more of the lateral parts of the body, becomes narrower towards the end of the tail, oc- cupying less and less of the sides of the animal, till at last it ends almost in a point. These two organs are separated from one another at the upper part by the muscles of the back, which keep their pos- terior or upper edges at a considerable distance from one another: below that, and towards the middle, they are separated by the air-bag; and at their lower parts they are separated by the middle partition. They begin forwards, by a pretty regular edge, almost at right angles with the longitudinal axis of the body, situated on the lower sid) lateral parts of the abdomen. Their upper edge is a pretty strait line, with small indentations made by the nerves and blood-vessels which pass round it to the skin. At the anterior end they go as far towards the back as the middle line of the animal; but in their approach towards the tail, they gradually leave that line, coming nearer to the lower surface of the ani- mal. The general shape of the organ, on an ex- terior or side view, is broad at the end next to the head of the animal, becoming gradually narrower towards the tail, and ending there almost in a point. The other surfaces of the organ are fitted to the shape of the parts with which they come in con- tact: therefore on the upper and inner surface it is hollowed, to receive the muscles of the back. There is also a longitudinal depression on its lower edge, where a substance lies which divides it from the small organ, and which gives a kind of fixed point for the lateral muscles of the fin. ‘ Its most internal \ ay) ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. surface is a plane adapted to the partition which divides the two organs from one another. The edge next to the muscles of the back is very thin, but the organ becomes thicker and thicker towards its middle, where it approaches the centre of the animal. It becomes thinner again towards the lower surface or belly, but that edge is not so thin as the other. Its union with the parts to which it is attached is in general by a loose, but pretty strong, cellular membrane ; except at the partition, to which it is jomed so close as to be almost inser parable, The small organ lies along the lower edge of the animal, nearly to the same extent as the other. Its situation is marked externally by ~ the muscles, which move the fin under which it lies. Its anterior end begins nearly in the same line with the large organ, and just where the fin begins. It terminates almost insensibly near the end of the tail, where the large organ also terminates, It is of a triangular figure, adapting itself to the part in which it lies, Its anterior end is the narrowest part: toward the tail it becomes broader; in the middle of the organ it is thickest, and from thence becomes gradually thinner to the tail, where it is very thin, The two small organs are ‘separated from one another by the middle muscles, and by the bones upon which the bones of the fins are ar- ticulated, The large and the small organ on each. side, are separated from one another by a membrane, the inner edge of which is attached to the middle partition, and its outer edge is lost on the skin of the animal, To expose the large organ to view, ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. 55 nothing more is necessary than to remove the skin, which adheres to it by a loose cellular membrane. But to expose to view the small organ, it is neces- sary to remove the long row of small muscles which move the fin. The structure of the organs is ex- tremely simple and regular, consisting of two parts, viz. flat partitions or septa, and cross divisions be- tween them. The outer edge of these septa ap- pears externally in parallel lines, nearly in the di- rection of the longitudinal axis of the body. These septa are thin membranes, placed nearly parallel to one another. Their lengths are nearly in the direction of the long axis, and their breadth is nearly the semi-diameter of the body of the animal. They are of different lengths, some being as long as the whole organ. I shall describe them as be- ginning principally at the anterior end of the organ, although a few begin along the upper edge; and the whole, passing towards the tail, gradually terminate on the lower surface of the organ; the lowermost at their origin terminating soonest. Their breadths differ in different parts of the organ. They are in general broadest near the anterior end, answering to the thickest part of the organ, and become gra- dually narrower towards the tail: however they are very narrow at the beginning or anterior ends. Those nearest to the muscles of the back are the broadest, owing to their curved or oblique situation upon these muscles, and grow gradually narrower towards the lower part, which is in a great measure owing to their becoming more transverse, and also to the organ becoming thinner at that place. T hey 50 ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. have an outer and an inner edge, ‘The outer is at- — tached to the skin of the animal, to the lateral muscles of the fin, and to the membrane which divides the great. organ from the small; and the whole of their imner edges are fixed to the middle partition for- merly described, as also to the air-bladder; and three or four terminate on. that surface which in- closes the muscles of the back, . These septa are at the greatest distance from one another at their ex- terior edges near the skin, to which they are united; and as they pass from the skin towards their inner attachments, they approach one another. Some- times we find two uniting into one, On that side next to the muscles of the back they are hollow . from edge to edge, answering to the shape of those muscles; but become less and less so towards the middle of the organ; and from that, towards the lower part of the organ, they become curved. in another direction, At the anterior part of the large organ, where it is nearly of an equal breadth, they run pretty parallel to one another, and also pretty strait; but where the organ becomes nar- rower, it may be observed that two join or unite into one; especially-where a nerve passes across. The termination of this organ at the tail is so, very small that I could not determine whether it con- sisted of one septum or more. The distances be- tween these septa will differ in fish of different sizes. — In a fish of two feet four inches in length I found them one twenty-seventh of an inch distant from onesanother; and the breadth of the whole organ, at the broadest part, about. an inch and a quarter, ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. 57 in which space were thirty-four septa. The small organ has the same kind of. septa, in length passing ox from end to end of the organ, and in breadth pass- ing quite across: they run somewhat serpentine ; not exactly in strait lines. Their outer edges ter- ‘minate on the outer surface of the organ, which is im contact with the inner surface of the external muscle of the fin, and their inner edges are in con- tact with the centre muscles. They differ very much in breadth from one another ; the broadest being equal to one side of the triangle, and the narrowest scarcely broader than the point or edge. They are pretty nearly at equal distances from one an- other, but much nearer than those of .the large organ, being only about the fifty-sixth part of an inch asunder: but they are at a greater distance from one another towards the tail, in proportion to the increase of breadth of the organ. The organ is about half. an inch in breadth, and has. fourteen septa. ‘These septa, in both organs, are very ten- der in consistence, being easily torn. They appear to answer the same purpose as the columns in the Torpedo; making walls or butments for the subdi- visions, and are to be considered as making so many distinct organs. ‘These septa are intersected transversely by very thin plates or membranes, whose breadth is the distance between any. two septa, and therefore of different breadths in differ- ent parts; broadest at that edge which is next to the skin, and narrowest at that next the centre of the body, or to the middle partition which divides the two organs from one another. ‘Their lengths b8 ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. are equal to the breadths of the septa between which they are situated. There is a regular series of them continued from one end of any two septa to the other. ‘They appear to be so close as even to touch. In an inch in length there are about two hundred and forty, which multiplies the surface of the whole to a vast extent. 7 “‘ The nerves in. this saitiee may be divided into two kinds: the first appropriated to the general pur- poses of life; the second for the management of this peculiar function, and very probably for its. exist- ence. ‘They arise in general from the brain and medulla spinalis, as in other fish ; but those from the medulla are much larger than in fish of equal size; and larger than is necessary for the common opera- tions of life. The nerve which arises from the brain, and passes down the whole length of the animal (which I believe exists in all fish), is larger in this than in others of the same size, and passes nearer to the spine. In the common eel it runs in the muscles of the. back, about midway between the skin and spine. In the cod it passes immedi- ately under the skin. From its being larger in this fish than in others of the same size, one might suspect that it was mtended for supplyimg the organ in some degree; but this seems not to be the. case, as I was not able to trace any nerves going from it to join those of the medulla spinalis, which run to the organ. This nerve is as singular an appearance as any in this class of animals; for surely it must appear extraordinary, that a nerve should arise from the brain to be lost in common parts, while there is ELECTRICAL GYMNOTE. 59 a medulla spinalis giving nerves to the same parts. It must still remain one of the inexplicable circum- stances of the nervous system. The organ is supplied with nerves from the medulla spinalis, from which they come out in pairs between all the vertebrze of the spine. In their passage from the spine they give nerves to the muscles of the back, &c. They bend forwards and outwards upon the spine, between it and the muscles, and send out small nerves to the | external surface, which join the skin near to the lateral lines. These ramify upon the skin, but are _ principally bent forwards between it and the organ, into which they send small branches as they pass along. ‘They seem to be lost in these two parts. The trunks get upon the air-bladder, or rather dip between it and the muscles of the back, and con- tinuing their course forwards upon that bag, they dip in between it and the organ, where they divide into smaller branches: they then get upon the middle partition, on which they continue to divide into still smaller branches ; after which they pass on, and get upon the small bones and muscles, which are the bases for the under fin, and at last they are lost on that fin. After having got between the or- gan and the above-mentioned parts, they are con- stantly sending small nerves into the organs; first into the great organ, and then into the small one: also into the muscles of the fin, and at last into the. fin itself. These branches, which are sent into the organ, as the trunk passes along, are so small that I could not trace their ramifications in the organs. In this fish as well as in the Torpedo, the nerves which 60 . CARAPO GYMNOTE. supply the organ, are much larger than those be- stowed on any other part for the purposes af sen- sation and action ; but. it appears to me that the or- gan of the Torpedo is supplied with much the largest ‘proportion. If all the nerves which go to it were united together, it would make a vastly greater chord than all those which go to the organ of this eel. Per- haps when experiments have been made upon this fish, equally accurate with those on the Torpedo, the reason for this difference may be assigned.” _ It has been affirmed that the Gymnotus electri- cus, even for some time after its death, cannot be touched without feeling its electric shock. ‘This is by no means incredible, when we consider the ef- fect of the Galvanic pile, so well known to modern sana CARAPO GYMNOTE. _ Gymnotus Carapo. G. unicolur, dorso apteryzio, pinna ani longt- tudine caude attenuate, maxilla supertore longiore. Lan. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1136. ' Brown Gyrnanote, with the vent-fin of the length of the attenu- ated tail, and the upper jaw longer than the lower. Gymnotus macrourus. G. macrourus, maxilla superiore longiore. Bloch," | ~ Gymnotus carapo. G. nudus, dorso apterygio, pina ani longitu- dine caude attenuate. Lin. Syst. Nat. p, 427. . . ‘Tue head of the Carapo is of a compressed form, and the upper jaw projects beyond the lower: the tongue is short, thick, broad, and furnished like the jaws with a great many small sharp-pointed teeth : CARAPO GYMNOTE. 61 the eyes are very small, and the front of the head is marked, as in the preceding species, by a number of small round pores: the body gradually decreases towards the tail, which is extremely slender, and terminates ina point. The colour of the whole ani- mal is brown, marked by a few irregular spots’ or patches of a deeper cast: the scales are small, and the lateral line strait. This fish is a native of the American seas, and is said to be ‘most frequent about the coast of Surinam. It is supposed to liye chiefly on small fishes, sea’ insects, &c. Whether it possesses any electric power, like the former spe- cies, may be doubted; yet the structure of the lower’ part’ of the body seems to imply somewhat of a similar contrivance of Nature. ‘The. usual length. of the Carapo is from one to two feet; but it is sometimes found of the length of three feet, and of the weight of more than ten pounds. It is consi- dered as an esculent fish by the South-Americans. VAR.? SHORT-TAILED CARAPO. Gymuaotus fasciatus. G.nudus fasciatus, dorso apterygio, pinna ani longitudine caude attenuate, maxilla inferiore longiore. — WNaked-backed pale-brown Gymnotus, with darker transverse fascize, short tail, and lower jaw longer than the upper. Gymnotus carapo. G. brachyurus mazilla inferiore longiore. Bloch. : : — Gymnotus fasciatus. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 137. In general appearance this fish so much resem~ bles the preceding that it has been considered both by Artedi and Linnzus as no other than a variety, differing principally in the shortness of the tail, and in the inferior size of the body. By Seba, however, it was regarded as a distinct species, and Dr. Bloch in his Ichthyology observes, that it not only differs — from the former in the part above mentioned, but also in the contrary outline of the mouth ; the lower jaw advancing beyond the upper : he also adds, that the number of rays in the vent-fin is different, and that the back is marked by a furrow, extending from the neck to the middle of the trunk. ‘This fish inhabits the same seas with the preceding. _ ROSTRATED GYMNOTE. Gymnotus Rostratus. G. rostro tubulato, pinna ani cauda bre- viore. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 428. Spotted Gymnotus, with tubuiar snout, and vent-fin shorter than the tail. Gymnotus varius rostro productiore. Seb. 3. p. 99. t. 32. f. 5. In its general aspect this species is much allied to the Carapo, but is readily distinguished by the pe- culiar form of the head, which terminates in a nar- row, slightly compressed, tubular snout, the jaws appearing in a manner connate: the colour of. the body is pale reddish brown, variegated with dif- ferently sized spots of a darker colour, and which are much smaller, as well as more numerous, on the fin than on the other parts: the pectoral fins are round and rather smail for the size of the animal: the eyes are very small: the scales, if any, are so small as to be not distinctly visible on a general view. ‘This species is a native of Surinam, and seems to have been first described and figured by Seba.’ 64 WHITE GYMNOTE. Gymnotus Albus. G. albus, maxilla anferiore ag. labia superiore utringue lobulo notato. ~ White Gymnotus, with the lower jaw longest, and the ‘upper lip marked with a lobule on each side. Gymnotus albus. Pall. Spic. Zool. 7. p: 36. Gymnotus albus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1137. Size and general habit of the Carapo and fasci- atus; colour white or whitish; scales moderately large; tail naked for about an inch, and ending in a point, as in others of this tribe ; pectoral fins very small; mouth furnished on each side the upper lip with a small lobule or abrupt cirrus, as it were, situated at about half the distance of the -gape ; eyes very small; head marked on each side by se- veral pores. Native of Surinam. | : WHITE-FRONTED GYMNOTE. : Gymnotus Albifrons. G. dorso anteriore niveo. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1139. Pall. Spic. Zool. 7. p. 35. t.6. fu 1. Gymnote with the fore part of the back snow-white. First described by Dr. Pallas: native of Suri- nam: head with wider mouth than the rest of its tribe, very obtuse, fleshy, and sprinkled over with small pores: upper lip very thick, including the lower, which is very high on each side: no tongue: palate beset with papilla: gill-covers with a semi- lunar opening before the fleshy base of the pectoral =e fe —— taal NEEDLE GYMNOTE. 65 fins, which are black and prominent, with the first ray doubled by a small bone at the base: anal fin beginning from the throat: fore part of the back convex, with a soft, brown, fleshy process * behind the middle, beyond which it is destitute of scales: tail compressed, flat, with an ovate fin: from the tip of the lower mandible to the middle of the back runs a snow-white band. NEEDLE GYMNOTE. Gymnotus Acus. G. nudus, dorso ventre caudaque apterygiis, pinna anali ante apicem caude terminata radiis SSRN Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1140. Naked Gymnotus, with finless tail and belly ; the anal fin ter- minating before it reaches the tip of the tail. Tuts species is described by Brunnich, in his his- tory of the fish of Marseilles. It is whitish, with reddish and brown spots, which cause a kind of clouded variegation on the back; while a blueish tinge prevails towards the under parts: on the back is a kind of projection, which may be rather consi- dered as a rudiment of a fin than a perfect one : the _ * This process, which is of considerable length, is, according to the observations of the Count de Cepede, attached also at its smaller or opposite extremity to the skin of the back, very near to the origin of the tail: it is also connected throughout its whole length by twelve short, oblique filaments, to the subjacent furrow into which it is received. In the specimen described by Dr. Pallas, it appears to have been imperfect, ‘and is improperly called a curus. Viv, P. I: o 66 FIN-BACKED GYMNOTE. whole animal is of a long, compressed, and attenu- ated form, and the mouth is destitute of tentacula. This is the only European species of Gymnote yet discovered, and is a native of the Mediterranean sea. FIN-BACKED GYMNOTE. . Gymnotus Notopterus. G. argenteo-inauratus, dorso pinnata — pinnisque cineruscentibus. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1139. Pall, Spic. Zool. 7. p. 40. t. 6. fa 2. Silvery Gymnote, with a gilt hue, with the dorsal and omer fins of a pale ash-colour. Ir must, no doubt, appear in some degree absurd to place a fish which is furnished with a dorsal fin in a genus distinguished by the want of that part: but since in every other respect the present animal agrees with the rest of the Gymnoti, I shall consi- der it as belonging to that tribe rather than insti- tute for it a separate genus. It is.a native of Am- boyna, and is of the length of about eight or nine inches, though it. probably arrives at a larger size. The head is short and obtuse; the eyes large, and above them is placed a small pore or foramen : the jaws are furnished with sharp teeth, those in the lower jaw being largest: besides these is a row of very minute teeth within the jaw: the palate is also edged with similar small teeth: the gill-covers are scaly, with a membranaceous edge: the scales on the body are very small: the anal fin at its origin is fleshy, and narrower than elsewhere. 67 ASIATIC GYMNOTE. Gymnotus Asiaticus. G. squamosus dorso pinnato, Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1140. Brownish Gymnote, with deeper bands, distinct scales, and finned back. Tus, like the former, departs, in some degree, from the generic character: it is of a thickish form, and more than a span in length, and is covered both on the head and other parts with moderately large rounded scales: the head is depressed, smooth- ish, marked with five hollow dots, and by a small foramen in front: before the nostrils are two abrupt — tentacula: the tongue is smooth: the teeth in both jaws small, and there is also a row of small teeth within the upper jaw, and a few hollowed points in the lower: the gill-covers have a wide opening: the body is subcylindric, compressed at the hind part: the dorsal fin commences a little be- hind the neck, and extends as far as the tail, and, together with the hind part of the body, is speckled with white: the lateral line is elevated and strait. but descends over the vent. OPHIDIUM. OPHIDIUM. a Generic Character. Caput nudiusculum: dentes-|| Headsomewhat naked : teeth maxillis, palato, faucibus. in the jaws, palate, and . throat. Membrana branchiostegara- || Branchwstegous membrane diis septem, patula. seven-rayed, patulous.. Corpus ensiforme. Body ensiform. BEARDED OPHIDIUM. Ophidium Barbatum. 0. cirro utrinque gulari duplici. Ophidium with a long double cirrus on each side the throat. Ophidium barbatum. 0. mazilla inferiore cirris quatuor. © Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 431. Ophidium cirris quatuor gularibus. Bloch. 5. p- 58. t.159 f. 1, Tue head of this fish is small; the upper mn rather longer than the lower, and both beset with. a great many small teeth: the lips are strong and fleshy: im the throat are several small teeth: be- tween the eyes and mouth are four small pores: the tongue is strait and short: beneath the throat are two long, bifid cirri, representing at first view four distinct ones: the body is long, moderately thick, and of a smooth surface: it is irregularly covered with small scales, resembling in their struc- ture those of an eel, and attached to the skin by \ % \ WW p Z, . i von Ay S ‘Y e: Yi) Yiu N 6 ae fy Fy et ON i a | i) \ A" OU C/U = A nn YU; a COIN 3 ie < 2 XN HIN St “yy SS YON IN WINN a Wy . WN a 4; Yi) NEY, yj Ws GIN \ Vy) ae re Dee i: ON ° é WS YIN IN Uy) . U0 N ON WIN yy vi A a Cal CL acW SL COLE COMA dE OQ) ° ia F x s a v7 i 7 ¥ 4 ; . , , nae vey : ae a fo m ; , a 1 ‘ ‘ i / Byes a ee ae r iN ‘ & * 4 i BEARDED OPHIDIUM.: 69 their middle or central part: the colour of the body is a subargenteous white, with a dusky cast above, reddish beneath, and spotted all over with small, oblong, dusky specks. It is commonly found of the length of eight or nine inches, and sometimes twelve or fourteen, and is met with in -all parts of the Mediterranean sea, and in great plenty in the © Adriatic. It is often taken by nets in Provence and Languedoc with other kinds of fish, and is most common during the summer season. It is not con- sidered as an elegant fish for the table, the flesh being rather coarse. It feeds on small fishes, crabs, &e. &c. In the Philosophical Transactions * we meet with some accurate observations on this fish by the in- genious Dr. Broussonet, who has considerably ad- vanced the science of Ichthyology. The first au- thor, according to Dr. Broussonet, to whom we are indebted for a description and figure of the Ophi- dium barbatum, is Bellonius, who seems to have been doubtful to what class to refer it, but has placed it among the Gadi, though of a very different family. Rondeletius, who wrote soon after Belon, has given a better description and a more accurate figure, though the cirri are very ill represented, and the whole fish appears without any spots, whereas in the Rondeletian representation it is spotted all over; and this difference caused Gesner and some others to consider the Belonian and Rondeletian animals as distinct species. Willoughby * Vol. 71. 70 BEARDLESS OPHIDIUM. 3 has described the scales, which are oblong, distinct, and disposed without regular order, and the differ- ence between the figures of Rondeletius and Bel- lonius arises from the former having expressed the scales, which are omitted by the latter: yet Ray in his Synopsis follows Gesner in supposing two dis- tinct species. Artedi has not noticed the spots, which, however, have been observed by Klein, who has mistakenly followed Rondeletius, in affirming that the fish has two cirri, while, on the contrary, Willoughby asserts that there are four; but it is easy to reconcile these descriptions, since though the cirri are only two, yet each being divided, they. appear to be four. BEARDLESS OPHIDIUM. ~ Ophidium Imberbe. O. mazillis imberbibus, cauda obtusiuscula. Lin, Syst. Nat. p. 431. Ophidium with beardless jaws and rather obtuse tail. Ophidion cirris carens. Artedi gen, 24. Syn. 42. Gronod. Zooph. 1. p. 131. Tuis species seems to be much allied to the for- mer, but is described as altogether destitute of cirri or beards: the body is oblong and slender, gradu- ally decreasing in thickness to the tail, and covered ' with very small pellucid scales: the head is short, a little flattened, very thick and rounded at the muzzle: the mouth large; the teeth numerous, sharp, and small, as in the former: the upper jaw _ rather longer than the lower: the gill-covers short, 71 and ending on the upper part in an angular man- ner, with a strong and sharp point lying over the valve: the gill-membrane furnished with seven rays: eyes large; irides broad and silvery: lateral line near the back: vent situated almost in the middle of the abdomen: scales on the body and gill-covers very small: dorsal, caudal, and anal fins united: dorsal beginning at a little distance beyond the head: tail sharp: vent-fin of equal length with the dorsal ; pectoral fins rather large, and of a lanceolate shape. Native of the Mediterranean. Ophidium Mastacembalus. 0. mazillis subacutis equalibus. Ophidium with sharpish- pointed equal jaws. Mastacembalus maxillis subacutis equalibus. Gron. Zooph. 1 p. 132. t. 8.4. f..1. Mastacembalus. Russel Alepp. ed. 2. Vol. 2. p. 208. pl. 6, Tue first description of this species seems to have been given by Dr. Alexander Russel, in his Natural History of Aleppo. It has so much the general appearance of an eel, that, according to Dr. Russel, it is considered as such by the Europeans resident at Aleppo, where it is often brought to table, and eats like an eel, though somewhat less fat. Its usual length is from a foot to eighteen inches or more: the head is oblong, subcylindric, narrower than the body, and contracted into a subacuminate snout in front: the eyes are small, situated on each side at no great distance from the tip of the snout : 72, the nostrils are seated at some distance before the eyes: the mouth is small; the jaws are equal, with lax, fleshy lips: the teeth of moderate size, and somewhat. confusedly placed in both jaws: the tongue and palate are smooth: the gill-covers smooth, the branchial apertures opening widely beneath: the gillmembrane five-rayed; the. body anguilliform, and marked down the back, as far as the beginning of the dorsal fin, by a row of about thirty-two small, sharp spines,- set at equal di- stances, and each recumbent in a small furrow, from which it is erigible at the pleasure of the animal : the dorsal fin commences at about two thirds of the length of the body from the head, is of moderate © width, and is continued into the tail and vent-fin in the manner of those of an eel; the vent-iin running beneath to about the same distance with the dorsal above : at the origin of the vent-fin are two strong, short spines, and at a little distance farther on the abdomen is a third: the pectoral fins are very small and rounded: the lateral line is pretty strongly marked, and yuns from the top of the gills along the middle of the body to the tail: the whole body is covered with small scales, like those of an eel: the colour on the upper parts is a clouded variegation of whitish and rufous, the under parts being entirely white: it is principally taken in the, river Kowick near Aleppo, ROSTRATED OPHIDIUM, Ophidium Rostratum 0, rostro acuminato longissimo. Ophidium with extremely long sharp-pointed snout. - Ophidium aculeatum. O. rostro acuminato. Lin. Syst. Nat. ‘Gmel. p. 1147. . Ophidium rostratum. Block. 5. p. 60. €. 159. f. 2. Pentopthalmos. Will. Ichth. Append. t. 10. f. 1. Tuts species is much allied to the O. Mastacem- balus, having a series of dorsal spines, and two or- three immediately before the vent-fin. It is readily distinguished by the very*great elongation of the upper lip, which terminates in a very sharp, slender snout: the head is small, and the body very long, and somewhat compressed : the gill-covers large, and the gill membrane lax: the lateral line is placed near the back: the dorsal fin commences at no great distance from the tail, but 1s not united with. it as in the former species: the vent-fin is about the same length, and is situated in a correspondent: manner beneath: the tail, which is distinct. irom ‘both, is of an ovate form, and rather small: the pectoral fms are of moderate size, and of an oval. shape: the nurnber of dorsal spines is fourteen, and of those before the vent-fin two: the colour of this fish is rufous brown above, silvery on the sides and beneath: the dorsal fin is variegated with obl:que dusky streaks, and is marked with from two to five round, black spots, each surrounded by a pale yel- -Jowish circle. ODONTOGNATHUS. ODONTOGNATHUS. Generic Character. Lamina longa, denticulata, || Mouth furnished with a mobilis utrinque maxille strong, moveable lamina superiori adnata. - or process on each side || the upper jaw. Membr. branch. radiis quin- || Gall-membrane five-rayed. . que. Se ACULEATED ODONTOGNATHUS. Odontognathus abdomine aculeato. Odontognathus with aculeated abdomen. L’Odontognathe aiguillonné. Cepede pisc. 2. p. 222. Tu E genus Odontognathus, instituted by Cepede, consists of a single species, of which the following is the description. The head, body, and tail are very compressed : the lower jaw, which is longer than the upper, is very much elevated towards the other when the mouth is closed, insomuch as to appear almost vertical, and is lowered somewhat in the manner of — a drawbridge when the mouth is opened, when it appears like a small scaly boat, very transparent, furrrowed beneath, and finely denticulated on the margins: this lower jaw, in the act of depression, draws forwards two flat, irregular lamin of a scaly substance, a little bent at their posterior end, and ~ ACULEATED ODONTOGNATHUS., ye GE SOL IR ha BO oe We 7 i Bae Oe ee eee ee ee ee mus re fe Lae ACULEATED ODONTOGNATHUS. 5 larger at their origin than at their tips, denticulated on their anterior margin, and attached, one on one side, and the other on the opposite, to the most. prominent part of the upper jaw: when the mouth is closed again, these pieces apply themselves on each side to one of the opercula, of which they re- present the exterior denticulated border: in the middle of these jaws is placed the tongue, which is pointed and free in its movements: the gill-covers, which are composed of several pieces, are very transparent at the hind part, but scaly and of a bright silver-colour in front: the gill membrane is also silvery, and has five rays: the breast is ter- minated below by a sharp carina furnished with eight crooked spines: the carina of the belly is also furnished with twenty-eight spines, disposed in two longitudinal ranges: the anal fin is very long, and extends almost as far as the base of the tail-fin, which is of a forked shape: the dorsal fin is placed on the tail, properly speaking, at about three quar- ters of the whole length of the animal, but it is ex- tremely small. The general length of this fish is three decimetres, and its colour, so far as may be conjectured from specimens preserved for some time in spirits, is a bright silver. It is a native of the American seas, and is common about the coasts of Cayenne, where it ranks in the number of edible fishes. COMEPHORUS. COMEPHORUS.° Generic Character. Caput grande, rostro de- | Head large, i depressed presso, 2 snout. Os amplum, dentibus mi- |} Mouth large, with small nutis, ie teeth. : Corpus elongatum, com- |) Body elongated, compress- pressum. ed: the second dorsal fin Pinna dorsalis secunda ae furnished with several pluribus nudis elongatis. long naked rays. . BAIKAL COMEPHORUS. Comephorus Baikalensis. C. pinna dorsali prima minima, se- cunda radius cirrhiferis. Comephorus with the first dorsal fin very small, the second with many naked cirrhiform rays. 2 Callyonimus Baikalensis. C. pinnis ventralibus nullis, dorsal prima minima, secunda radiis cirrhiferis. . Lin. Syst. Nat. Gitte Pe 1153,.:, Pall, gt..3. pi 7Q7. Ts IS fish, Krai under the above-named genus | by Cepede, was by Pallas described as a species of Callionymus, and referred somewhat improperly to the Jugular Fishes. Its length is about a span; its shape slender, compressed, and gradually de- creasing to the tail: its flesh very soft, and oily: the head large, and the mouth wide: the eyes large and black : the gill-nembrane lax, with very remote oe, Seon ‘ Pa BAIKAL COMEPHORUS. t cartilaginous rays: the pectoral fins lax, very long, reaching half down the body, and furnished with very slender, stiff rays: the first dorsal fin is very small; the second larger, and furnished with fifteen elongated bristle rays stretching beyond the membrane: tail bilobate, of a stronger nature than the fins: lateral lme nearer the back than the belly. -Native of the lake Baikal, where it was dis- covered by Dr. Pallas. From its conformation it appears to be capable of swimming swiftly, and, perhaps, of occasionally springing out of the water somewhat in the manner of a flying-fish. 4 “ TRIURUS. TRIPLE-TAIL. Generic Character. Rostrum cylindricum. Snout cylindric. Dens unicus in utraque | Tooth gel shethe in each J jaw. maxilla. Pinna dorsi -anique ultra || #2 dorsal and anal extend. caudam extensa. ed beyond the tail. COMMERSONIAN TRIPLE-TAIL. Triurus Commersonii. 7’. orificio operculorum valvula clausili. Triple-tail with the branchial orifice closed at pleasure by’a valve. - Le Triure Bougainyillien. Cepede pisc. 1. p, 201. Tu E genus Triurus is mstituted by Cepede from a remarkable fish discovered by Commerson in the ~ Indian seas, and of which the following is the de- scription. Its general appearance and size is that of a herring: the body is much compressed, and co- vered with scales, so small and deeply seated, that, at first sight, the animal appears destitute of any: the head, which is compressed as well as the body, and a little flattened above, is terminated by a very lengthened snout in form of a strait tube, at the end of which is a round hole by way of mouth, and which the fish has no power of closing: in the bottom of this tube are the two bony jaws, each composed ee Te COMMERSONIAN TRIPLE-TAIL. “19 of a single incisive and triangular tooth, no others being observable either on the palate or tongue, © which latter is very short, cartilaginous, but rather fleshy at the tip, which is rounded: the nostrils are very small, and placed nearer to the eyes than to the tip of the snout : the eyes are moderately large, slightly convex, not covered by the common skin, as in the Gymnotes and some other apodal fishes, and the irides are of a bright gold and silver colour: the gill-covers are situated beneath the skin, and are each composed of an osseous lamina in form of a sickle: the gill-membrane is five-rayed, and is at- tached to the head or body round its whole con- tour, in such a ‘manner as to leave but a small’ orifice just beyond the snout; in which respect it appears analogous to the Syngnathi or Sea-Needles, as well as to the Callyonimi and some other fishes ; but what renders the Triurus most remarkable is, a particularity of which we find no example in the whole class of Pisces: this consists in a soft, fleshy, lunated valvule, attached to the anterior edge of the branchial orifice, which it closes at the pleasure of the animal, by applying itself to the posterior edge: the body is not marked by any lateral line; the belly is terminated beneath by a sharp keel almost throughout its whole length, and the vent is situated at the extremity of the abdomen: the pectoral fins are small, delicate, transparent, of an almost tri- angular form when expanded, and have twelve or thirteen rays: the vent-fin has fifteen soft rays, and is directed backwards, its sharp end stretching al- most as far as the posterior edge of the tail-fin, of SO COMMERSONIAN TRIPLE-TAIL. which it represents a continuation or appendix, and even seems to form a part: the dorsal fin is in the same manner a kind of auxiliary to the tail- fin: it is formed of an equal number of rays with the vent-fin, but is situated at a greater distance from the head, and is a third part longer, streteh- _ing backwards, not only as far as the tail, but be- yond it; and as these iwo fins, viz. the dorsal and anal, reach that of the tail, it follows that the latter, — at first view, appears as if composed of three dis- tinct parts, and hence the name of Triurus, or Triple-Tail, applied to this fish by Commerson. In the mean time the real tail is so short that it appears more like a defective than a fimshed part, and is fringed at the edge by the terminations of the nu- merous, soft, divided rays of which it is composed. The colour of this fish is a brownish red, changing into silvery beneath the head, and into flesh-colour on the sides, belly, and tail, while a spot of clear white appears beyond the base of the pectoral fins.. This curious: genus was discovered by Commerson in the stomach of a species of Scomber ; five indi- viduals, perfectly uninjured by the action of the stomach, being taken out: several others were af- terwards observed sporting on the surface of the sea. In some points this fish seems to bear a near alliance to the genus Centriscus. ee \ — = \ LIS YL, : I RR SSS SSS ; ID EP ——— —_- f LL Lf, 92. AMMODYTES. LAUNCE. Generic Character. Caput compressum, corpore -angustius: labium supe- rius duplicatum: mandi- bula inferior angusta acuminata: dentes ace- rosi, Membrana branchiostega ra- diis septem. Corpus teretiusculum squa- mis VIX conspicuis: cauda distincta. Head compressed, narrower than the body: upper lip doubled: lower jaw nar- row, pointed: teeth small and sharp. Gill-membrane seyen-rayed, Body \ong, roundish, with very small scales: tail distintct, SAND LAUNCE. Ammodytes Tobianus. 4. marilla inferiore longiore. Launce with the lower jaw longer than the upper. Ammodytes Tobianus. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 430. ~ -Ammodytes Gesneri. . Sand-Eel. Will. ichth. p. 113. Sand Launce. Penn, Brit. Zool. 3. p. 137. pl. 25. Tue Launce, so named from. its shape, is a . native of the northern parts of Europe, commonly frequenting the coasts, and lying imbedded in the sand, in which it conceals itself at the depth of _ about a foot, with its body rolled into a spiral form. In this situation it is either dug out, or drawn up by means of a hook contrived for that purpose, © Nw. iV. P. I. 6 82 SAND LAUNCE. and used by the fishermen as a bait: it is also con- sidered as a delicate article of food. The general length of the Launce is from eight to ten inches : its form slightly square, being rather rounded on the sides, and somewhat flattened above and be- neath: the head is small and taper, and the under jaw much longer than the upper: the mouth is destitute of teeth, but at the entrance of the throat are two rough oblong bones for retaining the prey : the openings of the gills are large, and the opercula consist of four laminz: the nostrils are double, and placed midway between the eyes and the mouth: along the back runs a furrow, capable of receiving the dorsal fin: the lateral line is strait, running along the middle of the body, and besides this there is another near the back, and a third near the belly: the dorsal fin runs almost the whole length of the back, and is very narrow, and furnished with soft rays: the pectoral fins are small; the anal fin runs from the vent to the tail, and is narrow like that of the back: the tail is slightly forked, but the lobes rounded at their extremities: the general colour of the body is blue or greenish towards the back, and the sides and belly silvery, but sometimes of a yel- Jowish cast, and over the whole fish are commonly seen numerous oblique fibres or markings on the surface of the skin. ‘The Launce lives on worms, _ water-insects, and small fishes, and even occasion- ally on those of its own species, since Dr. Bloch informs us, that on opening two individuals, he found a young one of about two inches long in the stomach of each. It is itself preyed upon by the SAND LAUNCE, 83 larger fishes, and particularly by the Mackarel. The Launce spawns in the month of May, deposit- ing its eggs in the mud, near the edges of the coast. It is remarkable that most of the older ichthyo- logists describe this fish as without scales, their small size apparently causing them to be over- looked. The swimming bladder is wanting, so that the animal is calculated only for a littoral residence. LEPTOCEPHALUS. MORRIS. Generic Character. Caput parvum, angustum. || Head small, narrow. Corpus tenuissimum, com- || Body very thin, compress- pressum. ed. ) Pune pectorales nulle. | Pectoral fins none. ANGLESEA MORRIS. — Leptocephalus Morrisii. L. corpore tenuissimo. Leptocephalis. Gronov. Zoophyl. No. 409. t. 13. f. 3. Anglesea Morris. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. p. 139. pl. 25. Ir was in the British Zoology of Mr. Pennant that — this small fish, the only one of its genus yet ob- served, made its first public appearance under the name of the Morris, having been first discovered on the coast of Anglesea by a gentleman of that name. Gronovius, to whom Mr. Pennant had some time before communicated it, distinguishes it by the title of Leptocephalus. The description given by Mr. Pennant is as follows: The length was four inches ; the head very small; the body compressed side- ways; extremely thin, and almost transparent ; about the tenth of an inch thick, and in the deepest part about one third of an inch: towards the tail it grew more slender, and ended in a point: towards ee JO; ANGLESEA MORRIS. 48083. Jidys London Publijnid by 6Mearsiey Lleet Street. Leathe Scilp, ANGLESEA MORRIS. 83 the head it sloped down, the head lying far beneath the level of the back: the eyes large; the teeth in both jaws very small: the lateral line strait ; the sides marked with oblique strokes that met at the lateral edge: the aperture to the gills large: it wanted the pectoral, ventral, and caudal fins: the dorsal fin was extremely low and thin, extending the whole length of the back very near the tail: the anal fin was of the same delicacy, and extended to the same distance from the anus. Gronovius observes, that on account of the ex- treme tenuity of the body, the joints of the verte- brze appear to project so distinctly along the sides that it might almost pass, on a cursory view, for a species of Tenia or tape-worm: the vertebral joints, in some measure, expressing the papillary foramina on the bodies of those animals, -STYLEPHORUS, STYLEPHORUS. | Generic Character. ~ Oculi pedunculati, seu cy- lindro crasso brevi im- positi. Rostrum productum, sur- sum spectans, versus ca- put membrana. interjecta retractile. | Os terminale, edentulum? Branchie trivm parium sub jugulo site. : Pinne pectorales parve: dorsalis longitudine dorsi: caudalis brevis, radiato- spinosa. Corpus longissimum, com- pressum. Eyes pedunculated: stand- ing on a short thick cy- linder. Snout lengthened, directed upwards, retractile to- wards the head by means of a membrane. Mouth without teeth? Branchie three pair beneath the throat. Fins pectoral small: dorsal the length of the back: caudal short, with spiny rays. Bodyvery long, compressed. Tu IS highly singular genus was first described in the year 1788, from a specimen then introduced into the Leverian Museum, and figured in the first volume of the Linnean Transactions. I shall there- fore repeat my former description from the above- mentioned work, and have only to add, that the genus still consists of a single species, no other having been yet discovered. "DIAM IS> VIPAT ABSALOIY, BP AQ BUWUGVL UOPUOT T AINE CERT “SOVOHdMIATALS CALV CIO) SSS Ne « SS 1 S SS = —— ———— —e_ _L = SS % ——— ——S = a = AM) “pf 2 ; sare Saar SSS = / Zz =. ZZ ‘QNIS YUIOIT ; V4 LL. f a , ‘ Rips Y : ¢ A Cava | day 4 ” . . 87 “CHORDATED STYLEPHORUS. Stylephorus Chordatus. S. argenteus, filo caudali longissimo. Silvery Stylephorus, with extremely long caudal thread. Stylephorus chordatus. Len. Trans. vol. 1. p.Q0. pl.6. Na- turalist’s Miscellany, vol. 8. pl. 274. Tue head of this extraordinary animal bears some distant resemblance to that of the genus Syngna- thus, and its true structure cannot so easily be de- .scribed in words as conceived by the figure. The rostrum or narrow part, which is terminated by the ‘mouth, is connected to the back part of the head by a flexible leathery duplicature, which permits it to be either extended in such a manner that the mouth points directly upwards, or to fall back, so as to be received into a sort of case formed by the upper part of the head. On the top of the head are placed the eyes, which are of a form very nearly ap- proaching to those of the genus Cancer, except that _ the columns or parts on which each eye is placed ‘are much broader or thicker than in that genus: they are also placed close to each other, and the outward surface of the eye, when magnified, does not shew the least appearance of a reticulated struc- ture. “The colour of the eyes, as well as of the co- jumns on which they stand, is a clear chesnut brown, ' with a sort of coppery gloss. Below the head, on each side, is a considerable compressed semicirculag space, the fore part of which is bounded by the — covering of the gills, which covering seems to con- sist of a single membrane, of a moderately strong 8s we CHORDATED STYLEPHORUS. | nature. Beneath this, on each side, are three smali pair of branchie.. The body is.extremely long and compressed very much, and gradually diminishes as’ it approaches the tail, which terminates in a string or process of an enormous length, and finishes in a very fine point. This string, or caudal process, seems to be strengthened throughout its whole length, or at least as far as the eye Can trace it, by -a sort of double fibre or internal part. Ihe pec- toral fins are very small, and situated almost imme- diately behind the cavity on each side the thorax. ‘The dorsal fin, which is of a thin and soft nature, runs from the head to within about an inch of the tail, when it seems suddenly to terminate, and a bare space is left of about a quarter of an inch. I am, however, not altogether without my doubts whether it might not, in the living animal, have run on quite to the tail, and whether the specimen might not have received some injury in that part. ‘From this place commences a smaller fin which constitutes part of the caudal one. The caudal fin itself is furnished with five remarkable spines, the roots or originations of which may be traced te some depth in the thin part of the tail. The gene- ‘ral colour of this fish isa rich silver, except on the flexible :part belonging to the rostrum, which is of a deep brown: the fins and caudal process are also brown, but not so deep as the part just mentioned. “There is no appearance of scales on this fish. From the very singular figure and situation of the eyes Ihave given it the generic name of Stylephorus, and as the trivial name cannot be taken from any. Spe ke Se I ea eee rere esa CHORDATED STYLEPHORUS. 89 circumstance more properly than from the extraor- dinary thread-like process of the tail, I have applied to it the title of chordatus. It is a native of the West-Indian seas, and was taken between Cuba and Martinico, near’a small cluster of little islands about nine leagues from shore, where it was observed swimming near the surface. The whole length of this uncommon animal, from the head to the extre- mity of the caudal process, is about thirty-two imches, of which the process itself measures twenty- ‘two. The plate represents it in its natural size. TRICHIURUS. TRICHIURE. Generic Character. Caput porrectum, operculis || Head stretched forwards, | lateralibus. with lateral gill-covers. Dentes ensiformes, apice |; Teeth ensiform, semisagit- semisagittati. tate at the tips. Membrana _ branchiostega || Gill-Membrane seven-rayed. radiis septem. } Corpus compresso - ensi- || Body ensiform, compressed, forme, cauda_ subulata |; with subulate, finless tail. aptera. SILVER TRICHIURE. Trichiurus Argenteus. T. argenteus mazilla inferiore longiore. Silvery Trichiure, with the lower jaw longer than the upper. Trichiurus Lepturus. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 409. Gymnogaster argenteus compressus, cauda attenuata impinna. Brown Jam. p. 444. t. 45. f. 4. Trichiurus maxilla inferiore longiore, dentibus magnis. “Bloch. achth. 5. p. 55. t, 158. Tu IS fish is equally distinguished by the singu- larity of its shape, and brilliancy of its colour: the body is extremely compressed, of a great length, and gradually tapers, as it approaches the extremity, till at length it terminates in a very fine point: the whole fish, except on the fins, is of the brightest silver-colour: the head is narrow; the mouth very SILVER TRICHIURE. 1603. Jtily 1,L0ndow.Publynd by Glivarstey, Flccte Sweet, ie ata ” EY SILVER TRICHIURE. gl wide, the lower jaw longer than the upper, and furnished with differently sized teeth, the longest of which are barbed at the tips by a sharp descending precess or hook on one side: the tongue is smooth, longish, and triangular: in the throat. are two rough bones: the eyes are vertical, approximated, and large: the lateral line is of a gold-colour, and, com- mencing behind the gill-covers, is continued to the tip of the tail: the dorsal fin, which is of moderate width, transparent, and of a yellowish tinge, com- mences almost immediately behind the head, and runs to within a very small distance of the extremity of the tail, at which part it degenerates into a mere membrane, being strongly radiated in other parts: the pectoral fins are rather small, and of an ovate shape: there is, properly speaking, no direct vent- fin, but a series of very small naked spines or rays, to the number of about 110, are continued from the vent, which is situated about the middle of the body, to near the tip of the tail. The general length of this fish is from two to three feet: it is said to be of a very voracious nature, swims with rapidity, and in the pursuit of its prey sometimes leaps into small vessels which happen to be sailing by. It is a native of the rivers and larger lakes of South America, and is considered as an eatable fish. It is also said to be found in some parts of India, and in China. ELECTRICAL TRICHIURE. Trichiurus Electricus. TT. fuscus, mandibulis equalibus. — Brown Trichiure with jaws of equal length. : Trichiurus electricus. TJ. mandibulis cequalibus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1142. Anguilla Indica, Will. ichth. append. t. 3.f. 3. ‘Tuis species, which seems nearly equal in size | to the preceding, differs not only in the conforma- 7 tion of the jaws, which are both of equal length, 7 but in the form of its teeth, which are all very i minute: the tail is not so extremely slender and 4g sharp as in the former, and the colour of the whole q animal is pale brown, variegated with spots of a q deeper cast. It is a native of the Indian seas, and ; is said to possess a degree of electrical power. x i 13. SSL, SSS COMMON WOLEF-FISH. ANARHICHAS. WOLF-FISH. Generic. Character. Caput obtusiusculum, Dentes primores supra in- fraque conici,divergentes, sex pluresve. Molares inferioves palatique ‘rotundati. Membr: branchiostega radiis sex. Sues Head rather obtuse. Fore-Teeth both above and _ below conical, divergent, strong, six or more in | number. Be Grinders in the lower jaw and palate rounded. Gill-Membrane six-rayed. Corpus teretiusculum. Pinna | Body roundish. Tail-fin dis- — ‘caude distincta. tinct. COMMON WOLF-FISH. Anarhichas Lupus. 4. lividus, fasciis transversis fuscis. Livid Wolf-Fish, with transverse brown bands. _Anarhichas Lupus. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 430. “Anarhichas dentibus osseis. Bloch. 3. p. 18. t. 74. “Ravenous Wolf-fish. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. pe 157. pl. 24; I KNOW not.that any thing material can be. added. to the descriptions of this fish by Mr. Pennant and Dr. Bloch. The former, in his British Zoology, in- forms us that it is confined to the northern regions of the globe, being met with in the seas of Green- *m 94 COMMON WOLF-FISH. land, those of Iceland and Norway, and in some parts of the British coasts. It isa most fierce and ravenous fish, and when taken fastens on any thing within its reach: the fishermen, dreading its bite, endeavour, as soon as possible, to beat out. its fore- teeth, and then kill it by striking it on the head: Schonfelde relates that its bite is so hard that it: will seize on an anchor and leave the marks of its teeth behind; and we are informed by Steller that one which he saw taken on the coast of Kamtskatka seized with great violence a cutlass with which it was attempted to be killed, and broke it in pieces © as if it had been made of glass. It feeds almost entirely on crustaceous animals and shell-fish, viz. crabs, lobsters, prawns, muscles, scallops, large whelks, &c. &c. these it grinds to pieces with its teeth, and swallows with the shells. It grows to a large size, being occasionally found on the British coasts of the length of four feet, but on the more’ northern coasts of Europe has been seen of the length of seven* feet: the head is a little flattened on the top; the nose blunt, the nostrils very small ; the eyes small and placed near the end of the nose: the irides are pale yellow: the teeth are very re- markable, and finely adapted to its way of life: the fore-teeth are strong, conical, diverging a little from each other, and stand far out of the jaws: they are commonly six above, and as many below, though sometimes there are only five in each jaw: these teeth are supported withinside by a row of smaller’ * According to Dr. Gmelin it has been found of the length of . fifteen feet. ———— COMMON WOLF-FISH. 05 teeth, making the number in the upper jaw seven- teen or eighteen, and in the lower eleven or twelve : the sides of the under jaw are convex inwards, which greatly adds to their strength, and at the same time allows room for the large muscles with which the head of this fish is furnished : the molares or grinders. of the under jaw are higher on the outer than on the miner edges, which inclines their surfaces in- wards: they join the canine teeth in that jaw, but in the upper are separate from them: in the centre — are two rows of strong flat teeth, fixed on an oblong basis, upon the bones of the palate and nose: these and the grinding teeth are often found fossil, and in that state have been called Bufonites or Toad- Stones: they were formerly much esteemed for imaginary virtues, and were set in gold and worr as rings: the two bones that form the under jaw are united before by a loose cartilage, which me- chanism admitting a motion from side to side, most evidently contributes to the design of the whole ; viz. a facility of breaking, grinding, and comminut- ing its testaceous and crustaceous food: at the entrance of the gullet, above and below, are two echinated bones; these are very small, being the less necessary, as the food is in a great measure comminuted in the mouth by the aid of the grinders: the body is long, and a little compressed sideways : the skin smooth and slippery: the colour is an obscure livid brown, with several deeper. transverse bands, which in some individuals are narrower and more irregular than in others: the pectoral fins are _ moderately large, rounded, and placed very near 96 COMMON. WOLF-FISH. the head: the dorsal fin commences almost im-: mediately behind the head, and is continued as far: as the tail, which is small and rounded: the vent- fin commences at a little more than half the di- stance of the whole animal from the head, and is continued, like the dorsal, as far as the tail. - Dr. Bloch observes that the skin of this animal is. in reality beset with small scales, though the fish is by the generality of ichthyologists described as scaleless; an error arising from their small size, and their deep situation on the skin: they are thin,, and placed at some distance from each other: the body is also marked by a lateral line, though de-. scribed by Mr. Pennant as destitute of that part. Of three specimens of this fish examined by Dr. Bloch, one had six rows of grinders in the. upper jaw, and as many in the lower; another had six rows above, and four below; while ane had five above and three below. Notwithstanding the ferocity of this fish, which is as dreadful to the small inhabitants of the water as the wolf is to those on land, it is said to be some- times attacked and destroyed by an enemy of far inferior size and strength; viz. the Lump-Fish (Cyclopterus Lumpus), which fastens itself on its neck, and adheres immoveably; tormenting it in — such a manner as to cause its death. The -Wolf-Fish commonly frequents the ‘ie | parts of the sea, and in spring-time approaches the coasts in order to deposit its spawn among the marine plants, &c. the ova are about the size of peas; and the young, according to Mr. Pennant, PANTHER WOLF-FISH. , 07 are of a greenish cast, like that of the sea-wrack, among which they reside for some time after their birth. The Wolf-Fish is ; taken both in nets and by the line, but much more rarely by the latter method, as it does not easily take the bait. ‘Though the flesh is tolerable, yet from the forbidding appearance of the animal, it is rarely eaten in Europe, except by the fishermen: the Greenlanders however eat. it, both fresh and dried, and make convenient satchels of the skin, in which they keep their utensils of various kinds. : The Anarhichas strigosus, mentioned in id Gmelin’ s edition of the Systema Nature, seems to be nothing more than a variety in which the dusky bands of the body are narrower and somewhat less regular than usual, as in the specimen engraved in the British Zoology. PANTHER WOLF-FISH. _ Anarhichas Pantherinus.. 4. flavus fusco maculatus. ‘Yellow Wolf-Fish, spotted with brown. Anarhichas pantherinus. 4. maculis per totum corpus rotundis fuscis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1144. Act. Petrop. 1781. Dp. ial ie Oe In its general appearance this is much allied to the preceding species, but differs greatly in colour, being of a deep yellow or fulvous, variegated on _all parts with pretty numerous, round, deep brown or blackish spots of different sizes, the largest of perv. P. I. 7 98 | PANTHER WOLF-FISH. which are those on the back, upper part of the sides, and dorsal fin: the whole skin is of the same mucous or slippery nature as in the common Wolf- Fish, and is‘every where covered with small points or specks in place of scales: the head is roundish ; ‘the lips doubled; the eyes rather large, and the general disposition of the teeth the same as in the ‘preceding: the length of such specimens of this fish as have hitherto been observed is about three feet or rather more: in other particulars it agrees with the common species, Native of the Northern seas, Pd. o Me as A. aPC) Wy 4, 1 i ae , My 7 . , ; ~ Fh . # DDLLLS PIB_L ADVE LOAD NP BUDQNL UOPUO TE NM GOGL “HSTIW-GMWOMS NOWALO GNIS Uso - XS XIPHIAS. SWORDFISH. Generic Character. Caput maxilla superiore ter- || Head with the upper jaw minatum rostro ensiformi. terminating in a sword- : shaped snout. Os edentulum. Mouth without teeth. Membr. branch. radiis octo. || .Gill-Membrane eight-rayed. Corpus teretiusculum, ale- || Body roundish, without pidotum. scales, COMMON SWORDFISH, Xiphias Gladius. X. pinna dorsali postice attenuata. Swordfish with the dorsal fin attenuated at the hind part... Xiphias Gladius. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 432. Xiphias. Gesner. Will. Jonst. &c. Gladius. Aldrov. I. 3. ¢. 21..p. 332. Sicilian Sword-Fish. Penn. Brit. Zool, 4, p. 141. pl. 26. Tue Swordfish, which is a native of the Me- diterranean, and is mostly found in the Sicilian sea, grows to a very large size, sometimes measuring twenty feet in length, and is of an active and pre- dacious disposition, feeding on the smaller kind of fishes, which it kills by piercing with its sword- shaped snout. The body is long, round, and gradually tapers towards the tail: the head flattish, Fe inouth wide, both jaws ending in a point, but the upper stretched to a great distance beyond the 100° COMMON SWORDFISH. lower: this part, which is commonly called the sword, 1s flattish above and beneath, and sharp on the sides: it is of a bony substance, covered by a strong skin or epidermis: down the middle of the upper part runs an impressed line or furrow, and three similar ones on the lower surface: the tongue is free or unconnected with the palate, and is of a strong texture, and in the throat are certain rough bones: the nostrils are double, and seated near the eyes, which are moderately large, and protuberant: the body is covered by a thin skin, having a thick fatty membrane lying beneath: the lateral line is placed near the back, and is formed of a series of longish black specks: the dorsal fin is very high at its commencement, and sinking suddenly, becomes very shallow, and is continued to within a small di- stance from the tail, terminating in an elevated process: the vent-fin is placed nearly opposite this part beneath, and is moderately small, and much wider at each extremity than at its middle: the pectoral fins are rather small, and of a lanceolate shape: the tail is large and crescent-shaped, and on each side the body, immediately before the tail, a strong finny prominence or appendage. The general colour of the Swordfish is brown, accom- panied by a deep steel-blue cast on the head and upper parts, and silvery white on the sides and abdomen, _ Mr. Pennant abatares that the ancient aictes of taking the Swordfish, particularly described by Strabo, agrees exactly with that practised by the moderns at the present day. - man ascends one 2 Le: BROAD-FINNED SWORD-FISH . : & a / BROAD-FINNED SWORDFISH. 101 of the cliffs that overhang the sea, and as soon as he spies the fish gives notice, either by his voice or . by signs, of the course it takes. Another person, stationed in a boat, climbs up the mast, and, on seeing the fish, directs the rowers to it. As soon as he thinks they are got within reach, he descends, and. taking a spear in his hand, strikes it into the fish, which, after wearying itself with its agitations, is seized and drawn into the boat.. It is much esteemed by the Sicilians, who cut it in pieces and salt it: this process was anciently performed particularly at the town of Thurii in the bay of Tarentum, and hence the fish was called Tomus Thurianus*. The Swordfish is occasionally found not only in the Mediterranean but in the Northern seas, and sometimes in the Pacific: it is probable however that it has been often confounded with a different species more common in that ocean. BROAD-FINNED SWORDFISH. Xiphias Platypterus. X. pinna dorsali latissima, appendicibus pectoralibus acuminatis longissimis. | Swordfish with extremely broad back-fin, and very long sharp- pointed thoracic appendages. Nat. Miscell. vol. 3. pl. 88. Guebucu. Marcgr. Bras. l. 4.c.15. p. 71. Scomber Gladius. S. rostro ensiformi. Bloch. 10, p. QQ. t. 345, In the appearance of the long and sharp-pointed process of the upper jaw this species is very nearly Bom: *. Plin, L 32, o fF, * 10% -- BROAD-FINNED SWORDFISH. allied to the common Swordfish, but differs in other striking particulars. It is found of the length of twenty feet, and even sometimes much longer. It was first described by Marcgrave in his Natural History of Brasil, who has illustrated his description by a figure, which though not possessing any degree of elegance, is yet siificient to ascertain the animal. The general colour of this fish is a silvery blueish white, except on the back, head, tail, and_ fins, which in the living animal are of a deep-blue, fading into brown in the dried specimens, one of which is preserved in the British Museum, to which collec- tion it was presented by Sir Joseph Banks, Bart, President of the Royal Society. Some years ago a letter was sent to the President from the captain of an East-Indiaman, accompanied by an account of an astonishing instance of the powerful strength which this fish occasionally exerts; the bottom of the ship having being pierced through by a fish of this species in such a manner that the sword or snout was completely imbedded or driven through almost to its base; the animal having been killed by the violence of the effort. A most singularly fortunate circumstance for the preservation of the vessel, which, had the fish been enabled to have withdrawn its snout, must inevitably have foundered in consequence of the leak. The wood, together with the sword imbedded in it, is now in the British Museum. This fish is found not only in the Brasilian and East-Indian seas, but also in the Northern ocean. It is said to be a great: enemy to whales, with — BROAD-FINNED SWORDFISH. 103° which it is reported to have frequent combats. It is remarkable that Pliny mentions the circumstance of the Swordfish being able to transfix vessels ; which has generally been regarded as one of those exaggerations so frequent in the works of the an- cient naturalists: but since the present fish is well known to possess this power, (several other equally well attested accounts having been received within these few years), it is surely no improbable suppo- sition that Pliny, though not conscious of the dif- ference, in reality spoke of this very species, which at that time was doubtless confounded with the common Swordfish. In the arrangement of this animal I have ventured _to differ from Dr. Bloch, who, notwithstanding its general appearance, its sword-shaped snout, and other particulars in which it evidently proclaims itself a genuine Xiphias, has placed it among the Thoracic Fishes as a species of the genus Scomber, considering the long processes beneath the breast -as a kind of pectoral fins. Dr. Bloch seems also to have considered the finny processes above and below the tail, together with the prominences on each side that part, as sufficient to justify his classi- fication of the animal. It may be added that Piso, in his description of this fish, compares its viscera to those of the Tunny. Dr. Bloch informs us that when this species does not exceed the length of about four feet, it is con- sidered as an eatable fish, but is too coarse when it exceeds that length. 104 SHORT-SNOUTED SWORDFISH. Xiphias Makaira. X. nigricans, rostro awn cauda utr Kurd - tuberculis duobus osseis. Blackish Swordfish, with snout of middling length, and two. bony tubercles on each side the tail. Le Makaira noiratre. Cepede pisc. 4. p. 689. pl. 13. f. 3. Tuts species, which has but lately been dis- covered, is described by Cepede under the title of Makaira. Its general appearance resembles that of the common Swordfish: it seems also to equal that species in size; the principal difference con- sisting in the much shorter and thicker appearance of the sword-like process of the upper jaw in pro- portion to the rest of the animal: the lower jaw is about half the length of the upper, and the mouth is destitute of teeth: the eyes are large and round : the gill-covers rounded behind, and composed each of two pieces: the pectoral’ fins are very narrow. and about the same length with the upper jaw: the first dorsal fin is large, and gradually sinks as it passes down the back: it is capable of being so far depressed or lowered at the pleasure of the animal, as to rise but little above the outline of the back: beyond this, at a small distance from the tail,is a second fin, of nearly similar shape, but of much in- ferior size, and the vent-fin, which is placed opposite to this, is but little larger: the tail 1s large and diene waged, and is-marked by numerous black — spots, and on each side the tail are two oblong =~ oe 2e. patie a ft TOPULOT LARA? FOYT @) ty H CL S lyll= ° YOMS GALLON S-LWOH > Qasr YI 1 i iat Yi Uf, I IO. . ‘1 ROUND-SNOUTED SWORDFISH. 105 sharpish prominences or bony tubercles. This fish was cast on the isle of Rhe, near Rochelle in France. Its length was 330 French centimetres, and its. weight 365 kilogrammes: its colour was blackish: it was eaten by many of the inhabitants of Rochelle, and was found to be tolerable food, though some- what dry: the flesh was white: on inspecting the mouth it was observed that the palate was ex- tremely rough. It is probable, as the Count de Cepede observes, that this species has hitherto been confounded with the common Swordfish, and that it is an inhabitant of the same seas. ROUND-SNOUTED SWORDFISH. Descrisep by Cepede from the sword or snout, preserved, with the fore-part of the head, in the Paris Museum. It differs from the snout of the common Swordfish in being convex ahove, instead _ of flattish, as in that species, and in having the sides perfectly rounded or incapable of cutting: it is also nearly cylindric in its shape, whereas that of the common Swordfish is much depressed: it has three longitudinal furrows above, and one beneath: (the Count de Cepede however seems mistaken in, supposing that there are no furrows on that of the common Swordfish, though they are differently placed from those of the present): the skin with * ” 106 ROUND-SNOUTED SWORDFISH. which it-is covered is of a very rough or shagreen- like surface; the tubercles being much larger than on the common species, and on the under surface’ or mouth, they are prolonged into a kind of small, curved teeth, lying in a reversed direction. - 23 2 * é . ’ - “ ol 4 \ \ a ~ ° i " : ont : , a ua. Pi : % : . a Fy 4 o. ; “ $ i . yall \ \ . * . iv \ » Ficath sciulp. H NN i i Nil H “\ ‘\ HT IY ANY N EY Wt S\\ I} I A WA op n ‘i NG \ ww wn XC) AN Ny " Th STRIPED STROMAT. 7803.JSuly 1 London Publijnd by 6 Hearsley Fleet Sireet. STROMATEUS. STROMAT. | Generic Character. Caput compressum. Head compressed. Dentes in maxillis, palato, || Zeeth bothin jawsand palate. Corpus rhombeo-ovatum, || Body rhombic-ovate, com- compressum, lubricum. pressed, lubricous. STRIPED STROMAT. Stromateus Fiatola. S. Argenteo-cerulescens, fasciis undulates transversis. ’ Blueish-silvery Stromat, with transverse undulated bands. Stromateus Fiatola. S. subfasciatus. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 432. Fiatola Rome dicta. Gesn. Jonst. Wall. &c. Tuts species, though a native of the Mediter- ranean, seems to be somewhat less distinctly known than the rest of the genus. It is described by Belon, Aldrovandus, Willughby, and others, as of a broad and flat form, but thin, the body being much compressed laterally: its colour on the upper parts is blue, of the sides and abdomen silvery; the whole body being marked transversly by numerous un- dulated or rather zigzag lines of a yellowish or golden cast, and the lips edged with red: on each side the body are two lateral lines, one of which, viz. that nearest the back, is curved; the other 108 PARU STROMAT. nearly strait :- the mouth is small, the tongue large and smooth; in both jaws is a row of minute teeth, and in the palate are two rough bones; the eyes are small, placed near the mouth, and have silvery irides: the skin is covered with very minute scales : the pecioral fins are rather small, with very nume- rous rays: the dorsal fin commences at about a third part of the length of the whole animal from the head, and is continued almost to the beginning of the tail: it is of a thickish nature, being covered by the common skin : the tail is considerably forked: the vent-fin resembles the dorsal, but commences at a greater distance from the head. This fish is said to be not uncommon in some parts of the Me- diterranean, and is known to the modern Romans by the name of Fiatola. PARU STROMAT. - Stromateus Paru. S. dorso aurea, abdomine argenteo. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1148. Stromat with gold-coloured back and silvery abdomen. Stromateus striis carens. Bloch. 5. p. 63. t. 160. Tuts, which is a native of a South-American seas, 1s of a bright gold-colour on the upper parts, which gradually sinks into bright silver on the lower: the whole body is covered with small, tender scales, which are easily detached from the skin: the — fins themselves are also scaly: the head is of. moderate size, and brownish in front; the jaws of | equal length, and armed with numerous sharp- ASH-COLOURED STROMAT. 109. pointed teeth: the tongue large and smooth: in _the throat are certain rough bones, serving to retain the prey: between the eyes and mouth are two foramina: the gill-covers consist each of a single piece: the lateral line, which is nearer the back than the abdomen, is rather broad, and is curved in the direction of the back. ‘This species is said to be much esteemed as a food. Its general size is that of a turbot. : ASH-COLOURED STROMAT. Stromateus Cinereus. S. cinereus, cauda furcata, lobo inferiore longiore. Ash-coloured Stromat with forked tail, the lower lobe longer than the upper. Stromateus cinereus. S. parte infertore pinne caude longiore. Bloch. 12. p. 81. . 420. Tur body of this species is of a somewhat more rhomboid form than that of the preceding, and the fins are somewhat more extended or pointed: the tail is more deeply forked, and the lower lobe con- siderably exceeds the upper in length: the colour of the whole animal is cinereous, with a cast of yellow on the sides of the head and the base of the fins and tail: the pectoral fins are tinged with red. It is a native of the Indian seas, and grows to about the length of a foot or more, and about the thickness of two inches: it is considered as ex- 110 SILVER STROMAT. cellent for the table, those which are largest being generally preferred: the bones are said to be of a soft or nearly cartilaginous nature, and the ribs but few in number: the residents in India‘use this fish both in its fresh and salted state, prepared in various ways: the native name is Pampel. SILVER STROMAT.- Stromateus Argenteus. S. argenteus caude lobis cequalibus. Silvery Stromat, with the lobes of the tail equal. Stromateus argenteus. S. partibus utrisque pinne caude aaah bus. Bloch. 12. p. 83. t. 421. Or the same general form with the preceding, but with rather shorter fins and tail, the lobes of the latter being both of equal length: the mouth is situated considerably beneath the muzzle, which is thick and round, the colour of the whole animal is bright silver, with a blueish or dusky tinge on the back and fins: the scales are small, thin, and easily deciduous. It is a native of the same seas with the preceding, and is in equal estimation as an article of food. ll BLACK STROMAT. Stromateus Niger. S. totus nigricans. Stromat entirely of a blackish colour. Stromateus niger maxillis equalibus. Bloch. 12. p. 85. t. 422. Greatty allied to the former in shape, but the mouth is placed in the usual manner, the upper part of the muzzle not rising above it, as in that species: the colour of the whole animal is blackish, with a silvery cast about the breast and sides of the head: the scales are small, and the lateral line, as im others of the genus, is curved in the direction of the back. Native of the Indian seas: not much esteemed as an article of food, on account of a popular prejudice entertained against it from its colour, as well as from its feeding on onisci, which are occasionally found in its mouth. It may be observed that there is a considerable degree of general resemblance between the habit of _ the genus Stromateus and that of Chetodon; but as the Stromats are destitute of ventral fins, they cannot be placed in the same artificial order, and must rank among the Apodes. The same is the case with some other genera, which are naturally allied to fishes placed in very different orders. ‘This forms the greatest objection to the Linnzean arrange- ment of Fishes: it would however be difficult to prove that a more natural distribution would lead toa readier investigation of the animals. STERNOPTYX. STERNOPTYX. Generic Character. Caput obtusum. Os simum. Dentes minutissimi. Membrana branch. nulla. Corpus compressum, alepi- dotum; sterno carinato bifariam plicato; abdo- mune pellucido. Head obtuse. Mouth abrupt. Teeth very minute. | Gill-membrane none. Body compressed, without visible scales; breast ca- rinate, folded both ways; abdomen pellucid. TRANSPARENT STERNOPTYX. Sternoptyx Diaphana. pellucido. S. argentea, sterno carinato, abdomine Silvery Sternoptyx, with carinated breast, and pellucid abdo- men. Sternoptyx diaphana. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1150. Hern. Naturf. 16. p- S. t. te fe he Qe ‘Tu E small fish from which this genus 1s instituted is a native of the American seas, and is described as of the general length of two or three inches; the shape broad, and pretty much compressed ; the back rising into a sharp edge, and the abdomen terminating in a carina: the eyes are large; the mouth rather wide, and suddenly descending, sO as to appear abrupt when viewed in front : the breast — —— TRANSPARENT STERNOPTYX. SMicathe SCulp . 2603 July 1.London Publifna by 6 Kearsley Fleet Street. GO “ TRANSPARENT STEBNOPTYX. ~~ 113 is disposed into a kind of folds on each side, so as to form a pellucid ridge; the pectoral fins are small: the dorsal short, and furnished with an extremely thick and strong ray at its origin: the anal fin is shallow, with distant rays, and extends a consider- able way from the vent towards the tail, which is slightly forked. ‘The general colour of this fish is a bright silver; the back inclining to olive, and the fins and tail dull yellow. The particulars of its shape are best exemplified by the annexed figure. Raa. 2. § Bee “LANODVId SHOANWAD AY \ ans CJA aug Wey‘ \ NSS AN AY WN SS. S S x ss > =O SSS WSK — S FISHES. JUGULARES, CALLIONYMUS. DRAGONET. Generic Character. Oculi verticales, approxi- |} Eyes vertical, approxi- mati. mated. Opercula clausa, apertura Gill-covers shut, with a small branchiali utrinque in aperture on each side the nucha. neck. Membr. branch. radiis sex. || Gill-Membrane six-rayed. Corpus nudum: Pinne ven- || Body naked, ventral fins trales remotissime. very remote. GEMMEOUS DRAGONET. Callionymus Lyra. C. radio primo pinne dorsalis prioris longi- | tudine corporis. Dragonet with the furst ray of the first dorsal fin as long as the, body. 116 GEMMEOUS DRAGONET. Callionymus Lyra. C. dorsalis prioris radiis longitudine corporis, Lin, Syst. Nat. p. 433. vaya m Dracunculus. Gesner. Cottus. | dldrov. Jonst. Will. Artedi. Gemmeous Dragonet. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. p. 145. pl. 27. Tu IS beautiful fish has obtained its specific title from the peculiar form of its first dorsal fin, the shape of which bears a fancied resemblance to that of an ancient lyre or harp. It is a native of the Mediterranean and Northern seas, and measures, when full grown, about a foot in length. The head is large and of a somewhat depressed form: the mouth wide, and the teeth small and numerous: the eyes are placed near each other on the upper part of the head: the gill-covers are joined to the skin of the body, in such a manner as to leave only two small openings on the top of the neck: the body is of a taper form, smooth, and destitute of visible scales: the pectoral and ventral fis are large, rounded, and of a peculiarly thin and delicate structure: the first dorsal fin is of a triangular outline, the first ray extending far beyond the rest, which are very few in number, rarely exceeding four or five. Like most other fishes the Dragonet varies slightly in colour in different individuals and at different seasons of the year; but when in full per- fection, generally corresponds with the description given by Mr. Pennant in the British Zoology, viz. ‘“‘ the pupils of the eyes rich sapphirine blue; the irides fine fiery carbuncle: the pectoral fins light brown: the side-line strait’: the colours of the fish yellow, blue, and white, making a beautiful appear- SORDID DRAGONE?P. 117 ance when fresh taken: the blue is of an inexpressi- ble splendor; the richest cverulean, glowing with a gemmeous brilliancy: the throat black.” In the Philosophical Transactions, vol. 24, this fisn is described by Dr. Tyson under the name of Yellow Gurnard: Dr. Tyson seems to have ranked it among the Gurnards from its general habit, ‘as well as from the sharp processes of the gill-covers, each of which, at its end, is armed with a triple spine. Linnzeus once considered it as a species of Trachinus or Weever, and Gronovius referred it to the genus Uranoscopus. , SORDID DRAGONET. Callionymus Dracunculus. C. pinne dorsalt: prioris radits corpore brevioribus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1152. Dragonet with the rays of the first dorsal fin shorter than the body. Dracunculus. Will. ichth. p. 136. Callionymus radiis 4 in pinna dorsali brevibus. Bloch. 5. t. 162. Sordid Dragonet. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. p. 147. pl. 28. Tus species seems so nearly allied to the pre- ceding, that it may perhaps be doubted whether it may not be in reality the same animal in a less advanced state. It is thus described by Mr. Pen- nant. “ Length six inches and a half: head com- pressed; forehead sloping down to the nose, being not so level as that of the preceding: eyes large 118 INDIAN DRAGONET. and almost contiguous: mouth small; teeth very minute: over the gills a strong, trifurcated, broad spine: the first dorsal fin had four rays; the first setaceous, extending a little higher than the others; the last very short: the two first rays and webs yellow, the others black: the second had ten soft rays, their ends extending beyond the webs, which were pellucid: the pectoral fins consisted of twenty rays, and were ferruginous, spotted with a deeper cast of the same: the ventral fins consisted of five broad and much-branched rays, like those of the first species: the anal fin was white, and had ten rays: the tail had ten rays: in both species they are bifurcated at their ends, and the ray next the anal fin is in both very short. In colour this species is far inferior to the former, being of a dirty yellow, mixed with white and dusky spots: the belly is entirely white.” This fish, like the preced- ing, is a native of the Mediterranean and Northern seas: both are numbered among edible fishes, and are supposed to live principally on worms and sea- insects. , | INDIAN DRAGONET, Callionymus Indicus. CC. capite levi longitudinaliter rugoso, operculis latere aperiendis, Lin. Syst. Nat. p, 434. Dragonet with smooth head longitudinally wrinkled, and gill- covers opening at the sides. Tuts species is a native of the Asiatic seas, and is described by Linneus as having the head de- BAIKAL DRAGONET. 119 pressed, and wrinkled in a longitudinal direction ¢ the mouth rough ; the tongue obtuse and emargin- ated, and the lower jaw rather longer than the upper: the branchial apertures large and lateral : the fore part of the gill-covers furnished with a double spine, and the hind part with a single one: the body much depressed, and of a livid colour: the vent situated in the middle of the abdomen ; the first ray of the first dorsal fin very short and remote from the rest: the ventral fins very remote from each other. Linnzeus adds that it is a kind of intermediate species, between the Callionymi, the Trachini, and the Uranoscopi. BAIKAL DRAGONET. Callionymus Baikalensis. C. pinnis wentrahbus nullis, dorsdli prima minima, secunde radiis cirrhiferis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p..1153. Pall. it. 3. p. 707. . Dragonet without ventral fins, the first dorsal fin very small, and the second furnished with cirrhiferous rays. Tuts species is described by Dr. Pallas, and is an inhabitant of the deepest parts of the Lake Baikal, from whence it occasionally wanders during the summer months to the shores, appearing in con- siderable numbers: the head is large, somewhat quadrangular at the base and flat at the top, with two tubercles on each side: the eyes are large and black: the snout broad and depressed, and the 120 OCELLATED DRAGONET. mouth very wide: the mandibles thick at the edges, the lower projecting beyond the upper: both are internally beset with small curved hooks or teeth, but the lower is smooth at the tip and subacute: the gill-membrane is lax and furnished with very remote cartilaginous rays: the pectoral fins are lax and very long, equaling half the length of the body, and have very slender stiff rays: the rays of the second dorsal fin are also slender, and fifteen of them are stiff: the tail is bilobate and stronger than the fins: the lateral line is nearer the back than the abdomen: the length of this species is about a span: it is of a soft oily nature, and of a slender and somewhat compressed shape, gradually tapering from head to tail. OCELLATED DRAGONET. Callionymus Ocellatus. C. pinne dorsalis prioris membrana fasciolis fuscis et ocellis quatuor fuscis picta, Lin. Syst, Nat. Gmel. p. 1154. Pall. spic. Zool. 8. p. 25. t. 4. f. 13. Dragonet with the membrane of the first dorsal fin marked with dusky streaks and four dusky ocellate spots. A sMALL species, not exceeding the size of the little finger: native of the Indian seas: colour above a variegation of ash and brown, the ash- coloured parts being marked by white specks: beneath white: head smaller and sharper than in OCELLATED DRAGONET. 121 others of the genus; flattish on the top; with the snout obtuse: eyes small and lateral: mouth small, with tumid, fleshy lips, the upper one doubled: gill- covers sharp, armed by a simple spine, and punctat- ed on their membrane: first dorsal fin, in the male, minute, entirely black, with setaceous, flexile rays: in the female broad, the connecting membrane being marked on its lower part by dusky bars in- cluded by a white line edged with black; and on its upper part by eye-shaped spots black in the middle, surrounded by a white circle edged with black: the second dorsal fin is more shallow, and of a dusky colour, marked with white parallel lines: pectoral fins hyaline, spotted with white at their base ; their rays twice barred with brown; the two middle rays being longer than the rest: ventral fins large, laciniate, black, with a white border, and very thick rays which are very much branched : vent fin serrated, black, with white base; the two first rays setaceous, the rest bifid: vent situated a little before the middle of the abdomen, and behind it, in the female, is a small conical peduncle recum- bent in a fossule: lateral line strait: tail rounded : spotted with white at the base; the rays barred or interrupted with brown. | 192 ARROW -HEADED DRAGONET. Callionymus Sagitta: C. capite triangulari, membrana branchi« ostega triradiata, pinnarum dorsi radiis equalibus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1155. Pall. spic. zool. 8. p. 29. t. 4. f. 4. 5. Dragonet with triangular head, three-rayed gill-membrane, and the rays of the dorsal fins equal. Native of the Indian seas: found about Amboina, &c. Length about three inches: of a slender shape, obscurely quadrangular, and of a brownish — colour variegated with grey ; beneath of a greyish white: head large and broad, much depressed, with a sharpish snout, at the tip of which is the mouth, which is small, with thin lips, the superior of which is doubled: mandibles rough: tongue very short, and flat: eyes small and approximated; iris silvery: gill-covers soft, with the hinder lamina large and extended as far as the pectoral fins, the first lamina terminated by a long, subulate spine, serrated within with small teeth in a backward direction: first dorsal fin small, and marked at the hind part by a black band: secénd dorsal fin and pectoral ones hyaline, variegated with brown and. white: ventral fins laciniate, spotted with brown, and furnished with very numerous rays: vent fin low, with the last ray branched: vent situated before the middle of the body: lateral line strait, obscure towards the head: tail rounded at the end, and spotted above with brown. 123 JAPANESE DRAGONET. Callionymus Japonicus. C. pinna dorsali priore acello nigro picta, radio primo in pilos semipollicares terminato. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1155. Houtiuyn act. Harl, 20. p. 313. Dragonet with the first dorsal fin marked by a black ocellate spot, the first ray terminating in two hairs. Native of the Japanese sea: head depressed: eyes large, approximate: first dorsal fin with black rays: second dorsal fin whitish: pectoral fins rounded: ventral fins very large: tail four inches long, forked, with unequal rays; length of the fish about nine inches and a half: body variegated, smooth, and roundish, URANOSCOPUS. STAR-GAZER. ‘ Generic Character. Caput depressum, scabrum, || Head large, depressed, majus. rough. Os cirrho interno, _ || Mouth furnished with an in- ternal cirrus. Opercula membranaceo-ci- || Gill-covers edged by a cili- liata. ; ated border. Membr. branch. radiis quin- || Gill-membrane five-rayed: que. | BEARDED STAR-GAZER. ‘Uranoscopus Scaber. U. labiis cirrhosis, dorso lati. Star-Gazer with bearded lips and smooth back. Uranoscopus scaber. . Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 434. - Uranoscopus. Capite scabro. Bloch. 5. p.75. pl. 163. Uranoscopus, Gesn. Aldr, Will. &c. Tue head of this fish is large, squarish, and covered by a strong bony case, roughened by an infinite number of small warts or protuberances: each side of this case is terminated above by two spines, the hindermost of which is the strongest and covered by a skin: the under part has five spines, smaller than those above: the mouth, which es SM ee SN WS Ss WY NN x cy NY \\ hs ‘| Ki AA} » )} i . SSS BEARDED STAR-GAZER. 1603 Ju 2 tondon Fubli{hd by 6Xcarstey Ficet Street. ee ceemeemmeeee BEARDED STAR-GAZER. 125 is wide, opens in an almost vertical direction: the - tongue is thick, short, and roughened with nume- rous small tectly: near the interior tip of the lower jaw is a membranaceous process which terminates m a long cirrus or beard extending to some distance beyond the lips, which are themselves edged with smaller ones: the eyes are situated very near each other on the top of the head: the body is of a somewhat squarish form as far as the vent, and from. thence becomes cylindric: it is covered with small Scales, and marked near the back by a lateral line composed of small pores or points bending from — the neck to the pectoral fins on each side, and from thence in a strait line to the tail: on the back are. two fins, of which the first is much shorter than the latter and furnished with stronger spines: the pectoral fins are large, with soft rays: the ventral fins are small ; the tail of moderate size and rounded at the end. The colour of the body is brown, with a whitish or silvery cast towards the abdomen ; the head, pectoral fins, and tail having a strong ferru- ginous cast, and the first dorsal fin being marked towards its hind part by a large black spot. The Star-gazer is an inhabitant of the Mediter- ranean and Northern seas, chiefly frequenting the. shallow parts near the shores, where it lies concealed in the mud, with the tip of the head alone exposed : in this situation it waves the beards of the lips, and particularly the long cirrus of the mouth, in various directions, thus alluring the smaller fishes and Marine insects which happen to be swimming near, and which mistaking these organs for worms 126 | BEARDED STAR-GAZER, are instantly seized by their concealed enemy, The usual length of this fish is about twelve inches. It is in no esteem as an article of food, being gene- rally considered as coarse and of an ill flavour: the gall was anciently considered as of peculiar efficacy im external disorders of the eyes. BT . Licath scuip. aN ANizggA PHA ON KUNI XT MIE Ip eat A“ 4 Hi Ht i aon We Z rm ne LPP ON y if y/ ON ~ ‘ZA = NN I SS thi i é HHH TALL Ail) Wi WA }} =: Hf mi) ii Hail Hl Y } Bs \It Ly iil Hn i] Mie Hl in ill At tin he | NN 6" | i Hh NR Wisi RATHI aa mn \j an aul FT DRAGON-WEAVER . TRACHINUS. WEEVER. Generic Character. €aput minus leve, com- || Head slightly roughened, pressum. compressed. Membr. branch. radiis sex, || Gill-membrane_ six-rayed. operculorum lamina ser- Gill-covers serrated on the rata. edge. : Corpus compressum. Anus || Body compressed. Vent prope pectus. situated near the breast. DRAGON WEEVER. Trachinus Draco. 7. subargenteus, striis subobliquis transversis Siavescentibus, pinna dorsali priore quinque-radiata nigra. Subargenteous Weever, with suboblique, transverse, yellowish streaks ; the first dorsal fin black and five-rayed. Trachinus Draco. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 435. Draco marinus. Belon. Gesn. Aldr. &c. Weever. Willughb. Pennant, &c. é Turs fish is of a lengthened shape, much com- pressed on the sides, and covered with small and easily deciduous scales: the mouth is wide, and opens vertically, like that of the Star-gazer: both jaws are armed with sharp teeth: the tongue is strait, smooth, and pointed: the eyes are seated on the 128 DRAGON WEEVER. upper part of the head, pretty near each other: the gill-covers are armed at their tips with a strong spine: the. first dorsal fin is small, and furnished with five strong spines: the second fin is continued almost to the tail; the vent fin.is of similar extent, and the tail is rather large, and even at the end: the pectoral fins are of moderate size, and the ventral very small: the general colour of the Weever is silvery, with a yellowish, or dusky cast on the upper parts, while the sides are commonly varied by numerous obliquely transverse streaks of a similar colour: the scales are small and rounded: the first dorsal fin is of a deep black. The usual length of the fish is about ten or twelve inches. This fish, like the Star-gazer, is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean and Northern seas, commonly frequenting the coasts, and frequently imbedding itself in the sand; in which situation, if accidentally trodden on, it strikes backwards with great violence, and endeavours to wound the aggressor with the spines of its first dorsal fin. So troublesome’ are the consequences arising from the punctures in- flicted by this part, that a law is said to exist in France obliging the fishermen to cut it away before the fish is exposed for sale. The usual symptoms attending the wound are, violent heat, pain, and inflammation ; and it not unfrequently happens that when the hand is thus wounded, a sudden redness extends throughout the whole length of the arm, as far as the shoulder. The usual remedy _ among the English fishermen is, according to Mr. Pennant, sea-sand, well rubbed on the part: an DRAGON WEEVER. 129 application which one might at first suppose would rather aggravate than alleviate the complaint. Many other popular remedies are used in different» countries. Notwithstanding the suspicious .aspect of the above-mentioned black fin, it does not seem to have any thing in its conformation which can justify the idea of any poisonous fluid conveyed from it into the wound; the spines when microscopically examined shewing no appearance of a tubular structure. The Weever is considered as an excellent. article of food, and is much esteemed in Holland, France, &e. It feeds principally on marine insects, worms, and small fishes: it, is tenacious of life, and can _ exist many hours out of water; the skin is remark- ably tough, and the animal may be excoriated with almost the some facility as an eel. It is maintained by some ichthyologists, that there are in reality two kinds. of this fish ; viz. the greater and smaller Weever ; but the difference, if any, seems to consist merely in size and a slight variation of colour: thus Willoughby mentions his having seen a specimen at Rome which, exclusive of — its size, differed from ‘the common kind in being marked along the sides with large black spots instead of the usual oblique yellow streaks: the same variety seems also to be figured in the work of Salvian. Mr. Pennant likewise describes and figures the Great Weever in the British Zoology, but makes no mention of the spots observed by Willoughby. It may be added that the Weever was by Artedi Viv. P. I. uv 130 OSBECKIAN WEEVER. considered as not generically distinct from the Ura- noscopus. Its English name Weever seems, as Mr. Pennant observes, to be a corruption from the French title la Vive. OSBECKIAN WEEVER. Trachinus Osbeckii. TJ. albus, migro maculatus, macillis cequalzbus, White Weever, spotted with black, with both jaws of equal length. | _ La Trachine Osbeck. Cepede pisc. 1. p. 364. Native of the Atlantic seas, and found about the Isle of Ascension, &c. Colour white, spotted with black: both jaws of equal length, and furnished with several rows of long and pointed teeth, three of which, both above and below, are larger than the rest: some sharp teeth are also situated in the throat: each gill-cover is terminated by two spines of unequal length: tail even. Described by Osbeck - inhis voyage to China. 22. Heatiy sculp. LS Wp “4 H ‘hy { e c ‘Upp: AN Via LOK a A vv Lips “gon AOL, GBS BORN 7 4 UW ih GAS ls Sl SSS Ny Y Uh: GADUS. COD. Generic Character. Caput leve. Membr. branch. radiis sep- tem teretibus. Corpus oblongum, squamis deciduis. — Pinne omnes cute communi vestite. Dorsales anique plures, radiis muticis, Pectorales in acumen. at- tenuate. Head smooth. Gill-membrane seven-rayed. Body oblong, covered with deciduous scales. fins all covered by the com- mon skin. Dorsal and anal generally more than one ; the rays unarmed. Ventral fins slender, ending in a point. COMMON Cop. \ ais Morhua. G. cinereus subflavo maculatus, squamis Abner bus, cauda subequal, radio primo anali spinoso. Ash-coloured Cod, with yellowish spots, largish scales, and first ray of the vent fin spiny. Gadus Morhua. radio primo anali spinoso, Morhua. G. tripterygius cirratus, cauda subequal ; Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 436. Belon. Gesn. Aldr, &c. Common Cod-Fish. Penn, Brit. Zool. 3. p. 152. / Tu IS highly important and prolific species, which furnishes employment for so many thousands, 132 COMMON COD. and forms so considerable a part of the subsistence of mankind, is an inhabitant of the Northern seas, where it resides in immense shoals, performing various migrations at stated seasons, and visiting in succession the different coasts of Europe and America. Its history is so well detailed by Mr. Pennant, that little can be added to what that author has collected in his British and Arctic Zoology. Pe «The general rendezvous of the Cod-fish,” says Mr. Pennant, “ is on the banks of Newfoundland, and the other sand-banks that lie off the coasts of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and New England. They prefer those situations on account of the quantity of worms produced in those sandy bottoms, which tempt them to resort there for food; but another cause of this particular attachment to those spots is their vicinity to the polar seas, where they return to spawn: there they deposit their roe in full security, but want of food forces them, as soon as the first more Southern seas are open, to repair thither for subsistence. Few are taken north of Iceland, but on the south and west coasts they abound: they are again found to swarm on the coasts of Norway, in the Baltic, off Orkney and the Western Isles; after which their numbers decrease, in proportion as they advance towards the south, when they seem quite to cease before. they reach the mouth of the Straits of Gibraltar,” Before the discovery of Newfoundland, the greater . fisheries of Cod were on the seas of Iceland and our own Western Isles, which were the grand resort a COMMON COD.. 133 of the ships of all the commercial nations, but it seems that the greatest plenty was met with near Iceland. | Newfoundland, a name in the infancy of disco- very common to all North America, was discover- ed in the year 1496, by the celebrated Vene- tians Sebastian Cabot and his three sons; who, at their own charges, under a grant of Henry the seventh, giving them possession, as vassals of his, of — all lands they might discover, coasted from lat. 67. 30, to the Capes of Florida. _ The isle of Newfoundland is of a triangular form, and lies between lat. 46. 40, and 51. 30: visited occasionally, but not inhabited, by savages from the continent. The boasted mine of this island, viz. its sand-bank, is represented as a vast sub- marine mountain, of above 500 miles long, and near 300 broad, and seamen know when they ap- proach it by the great swell of the sea, and the thick mists that impend over it. The water on the bank is from twenty-two to fifty fathoms; on the outside from sixty to eighty; and on the smaller banks much the same: the increase of shipping that resort to these fertile banks is now unspeak- able: our own country still enjoys the greatest share, and ought to be esteemed one of our chiefest treasures, bringing wealth to individuals, and strength to the state. All this immense fishery is carried on by the hook and line only: the principal baits are herring, the small fish called a capelin, the shell-fish called clams, and pieces of sea-fowl; and with these are caught fish sufficient to find employ « 134 COMMON CoD. for fifteen thousand British seamen, and to afford, subsistence to a much more numerous body of people at home, who are engaged in the. various manufactures which so vast a fishery demands. The fish, when taken, are properly cleaned, salted, and dried, and in this state sent into various parts of the European continent. | The Cod grows to a very large size. Mr. Pen- nant commemorates a specimen taken on the British coasts which weighed seventy-eight pounds, — and measured five feet eight inches in length, and five feet in girth round the shoulders; but the general size, at least in the British seas, is far less, and the weight from about fourteen to forty pounds ; and such as are of middling size are most esteemed for the table. | | The Cod is of a moderately long shape, with the abdomen very thick and prominent: the head is of moderate size, and the eyes large: the jaws of equal length, the lower one bearded at the tip by a single cirrus: in the jaws and palate are numer- ous sharp teeth: the dorsal and anal fins are rather large, the pectoral rather small: the ventral small and slender: the tail of moderate size, and even at the end, the first ray on each side being short, strong, and bony. The usual colour of this fish is cinereous on the back and sides, and commonly. spotted with dull yellow: the belly white or silvery; but the colours occasionally vary very considerably, and instances are often seen in which a yellow, orange, or even red tint prevails on the upper parts of the body, while the spots are lighter or deeper accord- COMMON COD. . pa ing to the different seasons in which the fish is taken: the lateral line, which is one of the principal distinctive marks of the species, is broad and whitish, and the scales are somewhat larger than in others of the genus. | The food of the Cod is either small fish, worms, testaceous or crustaceous animals, such as crabs, large whelks, &c. its digestion is so powerful as to dissolve the greatest part of the shells it swallows: it is very voracious, catching at any small body it perceives moved by the water, even stones and. pebbles, which are often found in the stomach. The fishermen are well acquainted with the use of the air bladder or sound of this fish, and dexterously perforate the living fish with a needle, in order to _ Tet out the air contained in that part; for without this operation the fish could not be kept under water in the well-boats, and brought fresh to market. The sounds when salted, are reckoned a delicacy, and are often brought in this state from Newfound- land. A species of Isinglass is also prepared from this part of the fish by the natives of Iceland. 136 HADDOCK. Gadus AMglefinus. G. albicans, cauda biloba, maxilla superiore longiore, macula nigra pone pinnas peciorales, Whitish Gadus, with bilobate tail, upper jaw longer than the lower, and a black spot beyond the pectoral fins. Gadus A®glefinus. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 435. Gadus Avglefinus. G. cirro unico, linea laterali nigra. Bloch, » pl. O2- Hadock. Willughb. Pennant, &c. Tu Haddock is distinguished froma the rest of this genus by having a forked tail, and the lower jaw longer than the upper: the colour of the body is silvery or white, with a dusky cast on the back: the lateral line is black, and on each side, at some distance beyond the head, and above the pectoral fins, is a moderately large, squarish black spot: the tip of the lower jaw is furnished with a cirrus: the eyes are large; the scales small, round, and oa closely attached to the skin. This species is a native of the Northern seas, where, lke the cod, it assembles in prodigious shoals, visiting particular coasts at stated seasons: the shoals are sometimes near six miles in length, and more than a mile in breadth. . “ The grand shoal of Haddocks,” says Mr. Pennant, ‘ comes periodically on the Yorkshire coasts. It is remark- able that they appeared in 1766 on the 10th of December, and exactly on the same day in 1767, These shoals extended from the shore near three miles in breadth, and in length from Flamborough Head to Tinmouth Castle, and perhaps much HADDOCK. 137 farther northwards.. An idea may be given of their numbers by the following fact: three fishermen within the distance of a mile from Scarborough harbour frequently loaded their coble or boat with them twice a day, taking each time about a ton of fish: when they put down their Imes beyond the distance of three miles from the shore they caught nothing but dog-fish, which shews how exactly these fish keep their limits. The best were sold from eight-pence to a shilling per score, and the poor had the smaller sort at a penny, and sometimes a half- penny per score.” The Haddock is taken in vast quantities about Heiligiland, and is from thence sent to Hamburgh. In stormy weather this fish is said to imbed itself in the ooze at the bottom of the sea, none being taken in such weather; and those . which are taken afterwards are observed to be covered with mud on their backs: The Haddock is, in general, of moderate size, measuring about eighteen inches or two feet in length: those which are most esteemed for the table weighing from two to four pounds; but it sometimes arrives at the length of three feet, and the weight of fourteen pounds. — Its food consists of small fishes, worms, and sea-insects. It spawns in the month of February. 138 DORSE. Gadus Callarias. G. cinereus subtus albus, capite corporeque Susco-maculatis, cauda integra, maxilla superiore longiore. Cinereous Gadus, white beneath, with head and body spotted with brown, even tail, and upper jaw longest. Gadus Callarias. Lin. Syst, Nat. p. 436. Gadus linea laterali lata nea maculataque. Bloch. pl. 63. The Dorse. ) Tuis is a somewhat smaller species than the Haddock, those which are usually taken rarely exceeding the weight of two pounds. The head is smaller than that of the Haddock, and is marked by several spots, which in the summer are generally brown, and in the winter black: the general colour of the fish 1s cinereous above, and white beneath, several brown spots being scattered over the body, which, in the young fish, are often of an orange-colour: the scales are small, thin, and soft: the upper jaw is longer than. the lower, and is furnished with more rows of teeth: at the tip of the lower jaw is a cirrus or beard. The Dorse is a native of the Northern seas, as well as of the Mediterranean and the Baltic. It is taken both by. the line and the net, and is highly esteemed as an article of food. It lives, like most others of this genus, on the smaller fishes, and sea- _ insects. Instances are adduced by authors in which this fish, like the Haddock, has been found greatly to exceed the usual size, and to weigh seven, eight, ten, or even fourteen pounds. It spawns in the menth of February. | (159 WHITING-POUT. Gadus Barbatus. G. albus, dorso pinnisque subfuscis, maxilla amferiore punctis utrinque septent. White Gadus, with brownish back and fins, and seven punc- tures on each side the lower jaw. Gadus barbatus. Lan. Syst. Nat. p. 437. Gadus corpore lato. Bloch. pl. 166. Whiting-Pout. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. p. 161. Tuts species, according to Mr. Pennant, never grows toa large size, rarely exceeding afoot in length, and is distinguished from all others by its great depth ; one of the size above mentioned being near four inches deep in the broadest part: the back is very much arched, and carinated: the scales larger than those of the Cod-fish: the mouth small, and the head short: on each side the lower jaw are seven or eight punctures: the first dorsal fin 1s triangular, and terminates in a long fibre: the colour of the fins and tail is dusky or blackish, and at the bottom of the pectoral fins is a black spot: the body is white, but more obscure on the back than the belly, and tinged with yellow: the lateral ‘line is white, broad, and crooked. ‘This fish is in high estimation as a food, and is found in the Medi- terranean and Northern seas. 140 BIB. Gadus Luscus. G. albidus, lateribus subflavis, dorso olivacee, radio pinnarumventralium primo setaceo, cauda nigro marginata. Whitish Gadus with yellowish sides, olivaceous back, first ray of the ventral fins setaceous, and tail bordered with black. Gadus luscus. G. radio pimnarum ventralium primo setaceo. Line Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1163. Mus. Ad. Frid. 2. p. 60. The Bib, Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. p. 162. Lenox a foot: greatest depth three inches and a half: body deep; sides compressed ; scales large and easily deciduous: eyes covered with a loose membrane, so as to be blown up like a bladder at the pleasure of the animal: mouth small, and beneath the chin a beard of about an inch in length: colour of the back light olive; the sides finely tinged with gold; the belly white; the anal fins dusky, edged with white; the tail with black. Native of the European seas, and much esteemed as a food. | : 14} POOR. Gadus Minutus. G. argenteus, dorso subfusco, maxilla superiore longiore, ano in medio corporis. Silvery Gadus, with brownish back, upper jaw longest, and - yent in the middle of the body, Gadus minutus. G. abdomine intus nigro. Bloch. pl. 67. f. 1. Capelan. The Poor. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. p. 163. - Tuts is a small species, seldom exceeding six or seven inches in length, and of a more slender form than any of the preceding kinds. It is of a silvery colour, brownish on the back, and marked with dusky specks on the sides: the scales are very small and thin: the head is of a somewhat sharpened form, with the: upper mandible longer than the lower, and furnished with several rows of small and sharp teeth: beneath the tip of the lower is a cirrus: the lateral line is strait, and the vent is situated at the middle of the body: it is remarkable of this species that the abdomen is perfectly black within, being lined with a peritoneum of that colour. ‘The Poor is found in the Baltic and the ‘Mediterranean, as well as in some parts of the Northern seas. Its appearance in the Mediter- ranean is considered by the fishermen as. the precursor of the Cod, the Dorse, and the Haddock, of which it is supposed to indicate very plenfiful shoals. It is reckoned a wholesome food, and is taken both by the line and net. It is supposed to feed chiefly on worms and sea-insects, and deposits its 142 BLENNOID GADUS, spawn among the stones and sea-plants metic the borders of the shore. BLUENNOID GADUS. ‘ Gadus Blenoides. G.argenteus, dorso subcinereo, pinnis vent- ralibus didactylis. Silvery Gadus, with greyish back, and didactyle ventral fins. Gadus blennoides. G. pinnis ventrahbus didactylis, Pall. spic. zool. 8. p. 47. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1165. as Descrisep by Dr. Pallas. Habit of a Whiting: length about a span: body plump, soft, convex, compressed, silvery white, with subcinereous back, and covered with very small scales: head thick, conic, obtuse; lips fleshy, doubled: teeth minute, unequal, in the upper jaw extremely minute, hardly more than six, at some distance from each other, _ being distinctly visible: tongue sharp and fleshy: palate longitudinally striated: eyes large; irides silvery: lateral line arched on the fore-part’: fins yellowish white, with very slender rays: dorsal and. anal fins reclined ; ‘the: first dorsal narrow, tri- angular; the second narrower; the third a little broader and shorter: pectoral fins subfalcated, very thin ; first ray of the ventral ones very long, thickish, and bifid: tail forked, with rounded ends. Native of the Mediterranean. | SAIDA. Gadus Saida. G. cerulescens, dorso fusco, abdomine ailbido, pinnarum ventralium radio secundo in setam longam terminato. Blueish Gadus, with brown back, white abdomen, and the second ray of the ventral fins terminating in a long bristle. Gadus Saida. Lepechin. nov. Comm. Petrop. 18. p. 512. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1166. Descrizep by Lepechin. Native of the white sea: length about eight inches: colour blueish, with dusky back, and white abdomen ; head com- pressed on the fore-part, but more round behind, and marked on the top with a black spot: mandibles furnished with sharp, curved, setaceous teeth which are barbed backwards: upper jaw rather obtuse ; lower longer and sharper: palate armed with a double row of teeth, and on each side the entrance mto the throat is a rough or denticulated bone: eyes large, with whitish pupil and blueish iris: gill- covers silvery, speckled with black, and composed of three laminz, of which the lowest is lunated, the next elliptic, and the third triangular and bicuspidate: back convex, slightly furrowed on the fore-part, and marked by a few confluent blackish specks : lateral line strait, nearest the back: dorsal fins triangular, brown, with whitish rays: anal oblong-triangular, with the fore-part of the base dusky-blue: ventral whitish at the base: tail forked. This species is edible, but of a dry or juiceless nature. 144 " With three dorsal fins, as in the preceding kinds, but with beardless mouth. WHITING. Gadus Merlangus. G. argenteus, supra rl Nea ~macilla superiore longiore. Silvery Gadus, brownish on the upper parts, with the upper jaw longer than the lower. Gadus Merlangus. G. tripterygius imberbis albus, mavilla superiore longiore. Lan. Syst. Nat. p. 438. The Whiting. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. Bloch, pl. 65. Tue Whiting is, according to Mr. Pennant, the most delicate as well as the most wholesome of the genus, but does not grow to a large size, the usual length, being about ten or twelve inches, and the largest scarce exceeding that of twenty. It isa fish of anelegant make: the bodyis rather long, and covered with small, round silvery scales: the head and back are ofa pale brown, and the sides slightly streaked. with yellow: the head is of a pointed form, with the upper jaw longer than the lower, and furnished with several rows of teeth, of which those in front are longest ; the lower jaw has only a single row: on each side the palate is a triangular, and in the throat two rough bones above, and two smooth ones beneath: on each side the lower jaw are nine or ten impressed points: the vent is nearer the head than the tail: the lateral line is strait, and at the beginning of the pectoral fins on each side is a black spot. This fish is an inhabitant of the Baltic, and COAL-FISH. 145 the Northern seas, and is found in some parts of the Mediterranean. Vast shoals appear in the British seas during the spring; keeping at the di- stance of about half a mile to that of three from the shore: they are caught in vast numbers by the line, and afford excellent diversion: their food consists of small fishes, sea-insects and worms: they are said to be particularly fond of sprats and young herrings, with which the fishermen generally bait for them, and in defect of these with pieces of fresh herring, one being sufficient, when cut, for twenty baits. According to Dr. Bloch the chief time of the Whiting fishery in France is in the months of January and February, though in England and Holland it is practised at a much later period. The Whiting spawns in December and January. COAL-FISH. Gadus Carbonarius. G. nigricans, subtus subargenteus, maxilla inferiore longiore, linea lateral recta alba. Blackish Gadus, subargenteous beneath, with the lower jaw longer than the upper, and strait, white lateral line. Gadus Carbonarius. G. tripterygius imberbis, maxilla inferiore longiore, linea laterali recta. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 438. Bloch. pl. 66. Coal-Fish. Penn, Brit. Zool. 3. Tue Coal-Fish, when full grown, is, in general, readily distinguished from its congeners by its very dark or black colour, though in this respect it some- IV, P. & 10 146 COAL-FISH. times varies: it is of a moderately long and elegant shape, with a small head, sharpened snout, and lower jaw exceeding the upper in length: when full grown the head, dorsal fins, tail, and upper parts of the body are of a dusky black, which gradually softens into a silvery tinge as it ap- proaches the abdomen: the lateral line is strait and white: the mouth is rather small, and black on the inside, though the tongue is of a bright silver- colour: the body 1 is covered with small, thin scales, and the jugular and pectoral fins are generally of a pale colour: the tail is pretty large and forked. _ The Coal-fish is an inhabitant of the Baltic, the Northern, and Mediterranean seas: it is common on most of our rocky and deep coasts, but parti- cularly on those of Scotland and the Orkneys, where, according to Mr. Pennant, it swarms, and where the young or fry forms a great part of the support of the poor. In July, according to the same author, the young begin to appear in vast shoals on the coast of Yorkshire, and are at that time about an inch and half long: in August they are from three to five inches in length, and are taken in great numbers with the angling rod, and are then esteemed a very delicate fish, but when about a year old are so coarse that few people will eat them: at this period they are above fifteen inches in length, and begin to blacken on the gills and back; the blackness increasing with their age: the fry of the Coal-fish is known by different names in different places; at Scarborough the young are called Parrs, and. when a year old, billets: at that place such swarms have POLLACK. 14.7 occasionally appeared that for some weeks together it was impossible to dip a pail into the sea without taking several. The varieties as to colour which this fish some- times exhibits are different shades of brown rather than black ; but in all the lateral line is invariably white, which therefore forms a good specific mark. Though the Coal-fish, in general, in its full grown state is but little esteemed as a food, yet it is frequently salted and dried for sale, in the manner of the Cod and others of this genus. POLLACK. Gadus Pollachius. G. subargenteus, dorso pinnisque fuscis, maxilla mferiore longiore, linea laterali curva nigra. Subargenteous Gadus, with dusky back and fins, lower jaw longer than upper, and curved, black lateral line. ; _ Gadus Poilachius. G. mawilla inferiore longiore, linea lateralt curva. Lan. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1169+ Bloch. pl. 68. Pollack. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. «« This species (says Mr. Pennant) is common on many of our rocky coasts: during the summer they are seen in great shoals, frolicking on the surface of the water, and flinging themselves into a thousand forms: they are at this time so wanton as to bite at any thing that appears on the top of the waves, and are often taken with a goose’s feather fixed to a hook: they are a very strong fish, being observed to keep their station at the feet of the 148 . POLLACK. rocks in the most turbulent and rapid sea: they are a good eating fish: they. do not grow. to a very large size; at least the biggest we have seen did not exceed six or seven pounds; but we have heard of some that were taken in the sea near Scarborough, ‘which they frequent during the winter, that weighed near twenty-eight pounds: they are there called Leets. The under jaw is longer than the upper ‘ the head, and body rises pretty high, as far as the first dorsal fin: the side-line is incurvated, rising toward the middle of the back, and then sinking © and running strait to the tail: it is broad and of a brown colour: the first dorsal fin has eleven rays, the middle nineteen, and the last sixteen: the tail is a little forked: the colour of the back is dusky, of some inclining to green: the sides beneath the lateral line marked with lines of yellow: the belly white.” lie Dr. Bloch observes that the scales of the Pollack are small, thin, oblong, and bordered with yellow: according to that author it is found in the Baltic and the Northern sea: it feeds chiefly on small fish, and especially on launces, which are generally found in its stomach. 149 GREEN GADUS. Gadus Virens. G. albus, dorso virescente, cauda bifurca, White Gadus, with greenish back, and forked tail. Gadus virens. Gadus dorso virescente, cauda bifurca. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1166. Faun. Suec. 309. ‘Tuis species is said to bear a very near general resemblance to the Pollack, but to differ in being of a greenish or olive-colour on the upper parts, and to have the lateral line perfectly strait, instead of curved as in that fish: the jaws are also equal, and the tail distinctly forked; whereas in the: Pollack the lower jaw is longer than the wpper, and the tail but very slightly inclining to a forked ap- pearance. Notwithstanding these differences it is held in doubt by some authors whether the present fish be really a distinct species from the preceding. It is said to be found plentifully in the Northern seas. With two dorsal fins. HAKE, Gadus Merluccius. G. albidus, dorso subcinereo, maxilla infereore longiore. : Whitish Gadus, with subcinereous back, and lower jaw longer than the upper. Gadus Merluccius. G. dipterygius imberbis, maxilla infertore longiore. Lin. Syst. Nat, p. 439. Bloch. t. 154. Hake. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. Tue Hake is a species of a considerably length- ened form: the head is rather large, broad and flat 150 HAKE. at the top, but compressed onthe sides ; the open- ing of the mouth wide, and the jaws armed with two rows of long, sharp-pointed, curved teeth, inter- mixed alternately with smaller ones: the palate is also furnished with a row of teeth on each side: the lower jaw is longer than the upper, and at a small distance from the eyes are situated four small foramina: the body is covered with small scales, ~ and is of a pale ash-colour on the back, and whitish on the sides and abdomen: the first dorsal fin is small, consisting only of about nine rays, but the second, which commences almost immediately from the former, is continued almost to the tail: the anal fin corresponds with this beneath: the pectoral and ventral fins are of moderate size, and of a sharpened shape, and the tail is nearly even at the end: the lateral line commences by several small warts beyond the head, and is continued in a strait direction to the tail: the usual length of the Hake is from one to two feet, but it is sometimes found of the length of three feet. _ This fish is an inhabitant of the Mediterranean and Northern seas, in. both of which its fishery is very considerable: it is salted and dried in the manner of Cod, Haddock, &c. but is not considered as a delicate fish either in its fresh or salted state, and is rarely admitted to the tables of the rich and luxurious: it forms however a very useful article of food for the lower orders in many parts both of our own and other countries. It is found in vast abundance on many of our coasts, as well as those of Ireland. We are informed by Mr. Pennant ITT ANN 4 pi A ie ia Wee H e LING. eo that there was formerly a vast stationary fishery of the Hake on the Nymph Bank off the coast of W aterford, immense quantities appearing there twice a year ; the first shoal coming in June, during the Mackrel season, and the other in September, at the beginning of the Herring season; probably in pursuit of those fish: it was no unusual thing for six men with hooks and lines to take a thousand Hake in one night, besides a considerable quantity of other fish. : At present, as we are informed by Dr. Bloch, one of the greatest Hake-fisheries is carried on about the coasts of Britany, both by the hook and net. It is carried on chiefly by night, in boats properly manned for the purpose: the principal baits for such as are taken by the line are launces, sardines, and other small fishes. a LING. Gadus Molva. G. cinereus, subtus albus, mavxilla superiore longiore, cauda fascia fusca. . Cinereous Gadus, white beneath, with the upper jaw hehidéy than the lower, and tail crossed by a dusky bar. Gadus Molva. G. dipterygius cirratus, maxilla superiore longiore. Lin, Syst. Nat. p.439. Bloch. t. 69. Ling. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. Tur Ling (says Mr. Pennant) takes its name from its length, being corrupted from the word long: the body is very slender; the head. flat; the 142° 4) USEING. upper jaw longer than the lower, and’ furnished with very numerous, small teeth, those in the lower jaw being few, slender, and sharp: on the chin is a small beard: the first dorsal fin is small, placed near the head, and consists of fifteen rays: the second is very long, reaching almost to the tail, and consists of sixty-five rays: the anal 1s placed in a cotresponding direction beneath, and consists of sixty-two rays: the pectoral fins have fifteen ra- diated rays, and the ventral six: the tail is rounded at the end. The usual size of the Ling is from three to four feet, but it is said to have been sometimes seen of the length of seven feet : in colour it varies, being sometimes of an olive hue on the sides and back, and sometimes cinereous: the abdomen is white, as are also the ventral fins, and the dorsal and anal are edged with white: the tail is marked near the end with a transverse black bar, and tipped with white. The Ling is an inhabitant of the Northern seas, and forms in many places a considerable article of commerce, It chiefly frequents the depths of the sea, living on small fishes, shrimps, &c. It spawns in June, depositing its eggs among“the fuci on the cozy boitoms. In the Yorkshire seas, according to Mr, Pennant, the Ling is in perfection from the beginning of February to the beginning of May, and some till the end of that month: as long as they continue in season, the liver is very white, and abounds with a fine flavoured oil; but as soon as the fish goes out ef season the liver becomes red and afiords no more oil: the same circumstance is LEVERIAN GADUS. 153 observable in several other fish in a certain degree, but not so remarkably as in the Ling*. Vast quantities of this fish are salted for exporta- tion as well as for home consumption. When it is cut or split for curing it must measure twenty-six inches or upwards from the shoulder to the tail ; if less than that it is not reckoned a sizeable fish, and consequently not entitled to the bounty on exporta- tiont. LEVERIAN GADUS. Gadus Leverianus. G. subcinereus, maculis ocellatis albidis. Subcinereous Gadus, with ocellated whitish spots. Descrinep from a specimen in the Leverian Museum. Body extremely long in proportion to its depth, and of nearly uniform diameter as far as the second dorsal fin, from which part it gradually lessens towards the tail: head large: mouth wide : lower jaw longer than the upper; both furnished with a row of sharp, subulated, and slightly curved teeth, of which those in the lower jaw are by far the largest and longest: eyes rather large: gill- membrane six or seven-rayed: pectoral fins of mode- rate size: ventral rather smal! and narrow: first dorsal fin subtriangular, situated at a considerable distance from the head, and the second at a great distance from the first, being of similar shape, but rather larger: vent-fin small, shallow, squarish, and * Brit. Zool, + Brit. Zool, 154 BURBOT. situated immediately beneath the second dorsal ; tail of moderate size, and even at the end: skin smooth, without perceptible scales, and every where marked by numerous, small, round, whitish, ocellat- ed spots on a pale brown ground-colour: lateral line not distinctly visible, but rather marked by a continued angular elevation of the skin along the whole length of the body, so as to give the fish a squarish form: length about two feet two inches : depth about two inches and a half. Supposed to be a native of the Southern ocean, being placed in a collection of fishes taken during the last voyage of Captain Cook. BURBOT. Gadus Lota. G. oltvaceo-flavescens nigro variegatus, ore cirrato, maxillis equalibuse Yellowish-olive Gadus, variegated with black, with barbed mouth and both jaws equal. Gadus Lota. G. dipterygius cirratus, macxillis aqualibus, Tin. Syst. Nat. p. 440. Bloch. t. 70. Burbot. Penn, Brit. Zool. 3. Tue Burbot, a fish very highly esteemed for its superior delicacy, is an inhabitant of clear lakes and rivers, and is found in many parts of Europe and Asia. In our own country it occurs chiefly in the lakes of the Northern counties, in some of the fens of Lincolnshire, and the rivers Witham and Trent ; but it is said to arrive at its greatest per- fection in the Lake of Geneva, where it is found in BURBOT. 155 great plenty. In its habit or general appearance the Burbot makes an obscure approach to the Murena, having a remarkably lengthened body of a subcylindric shape: the head is broad and flat- tened; the eyes small and lateral, with blue pupils and. yellow irides : the mouth wide; the jaws armed with several rows of sharp teeth: the lower jaw is furnished with a beard of considerable length, and two small cirri are seated on the top of the nose, at some distance from the eyes: the tongue is broad: the colour of the Burbot, which, like all others, varies as to its particular shades at different seasons and in different individuals, is a dull or brownish yellow, approaching to whiteness on the abdomen, and to, olivaceous on the back and fins; while the whole is yariegated with numerous and irregularly formed spots and patches of different sizes and of a blackish colour: in some the ground-colour is greenish, and in others rather brown than yellow: the skin is remarkably smooth, and mucous or slippery like that of an eel, and is covered with ex- tremely small scales: the first dorsal fim is small, and situated near the middle of the back; the second commences at a small distance beyond this, and is continued as far as the tail, which is rather short, and of a rounded form: the anal fin is of similar — length with the dorsal, and like that is continued as far as the beginning of the tail: the pectoral fins are small and rounded; the ventral narrow and of a sharper form. The Burbot is considered as a very voracious fish, preying on all the smaller fishes, as well as on frogs, 156 | WEESLE GADUS. worms, and aquatic insects: it grows to a consider- able size: the largest however of those which are taken in England have been rarely known to exceed the weight of three pounds, but in some parts of Europe they are found of more than double that weight, and of the length of three feet or more. . : The reputation of this fish as a food has long been established, but its liver is celebrated as an article of peculiar luxury, and we are informed by A]dro- vandus that an old German countess carried her epicurism so far as to expend the greatest part of her income in the purchase of this dish. The gall has been famed, like that of the Stargazer, the Barbel, and some other fishes, for its supposed efficacy in external disorders of the eyes, WEESLE GADUS. _ Gadus Mustela. G. cirris quinque vel tribus, pinna dorsali priore exoleta. Gadus with either five or three beards, and the first dorsal fin incomplete. Gadus Mustela. G. dipterygius cirratus, cirris quinque, pinna dorsalt priore exoleta. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 440. ~ Gadus Mustela. G. cirris tribus. Bloch. t. 165. Mustela vulgaris Rondeletii. Will. ichth, p. 121. | Five-Bearded Cod. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. Three-Bearded Cod, ad. 3. Tus species appears to admit of two varieties, the one furnished with four beards on the upper lip and one on the lower; the other with two on the upper and one on the lower, These varieties or, per- WEESLE GADUS. 157 haps, sexual differences, have been considered by some authors as distinct species. Of this opinion is Mr. Pennant, whose description of both is so ac- curate as to require no additions. Three-Bearded Cod. «© This species commonly frequents the rocky shores of these islands, and is sometimes taken with a bait. It grows to the length of nineteen inches ; the weight two pounds two ounces: the head is large and flat: the eyes not remote from the end of the nose: the body is long, slender, and com- pressed sideways, especially towards the tail: at the — end of the upper jaw are two beards; on the chin one: the teeth are numerous and small, disposed along the jaws in form of a broad plate: in the roof of the mouth is a set of small teeth, disposed in a triangular form: the number of branchiostegous rays is seven: the first dorsal fin is lodged in a deep _ furrow just beyond the head, and consists of a num- ber of short, unconnected rays: the second rises just behind it, and reaches very near the tail: the pectoral fins are broad and round: the ventral fins small; the second ray the longest: the anal fin reaches almost to the tail: the tail rounded at the end: the scales are very small: the colour of the body and head a reddish yellow, marked above the . lateral line with large black spots: the back fm and tail are darker; the vent fin of a brighter red, but all are spotted: the lateral line bends in the middle, then passes strait to the tail.” 158 WEESLE GADUS. Five- Bearded Cod. “« Mr. Willughby makes this species with five beards a variety only of the former; but having opportunity of examining several specimens, we must dissent from his opinion, having always ob- served the number of the beards in the spotted kind not to exceed three, nor the number in the brown kind to be less than five: the first ray of the dorsal fin is very long: there is also some difference in the form as well as colour, this species being rather thicker in proportion than the former. “« Excepting in these particulars, and the number of the beards, there is a general agreement in the parts of both: the beards on the upper jaw are four, viz. two at the very end of the nose, and two a little above them: on the end of the lower jaw is a single one. These fish are of a deep olive brown, their belly whitish. ‘They grow to the same size as the former.” Russian Gadus. A third variety of the Weesle Gadus, under the above title is described by Mr. Walbaum, and is introduced intothe Gmelinian edition of the Systema Nature: it differs from the two former in being ~ furnished only with a single beard. | ns 159 CIMBRIAN GADUS. Gadus Cimbrius. G. cirris quatuor, pinna dorsali priore exoleta, radio primo hastato.. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1174. Gadus with four beards, first dorsal fin incomplete, with the first ray hastated. Great Ly allied to the Mustela, but with the first ray of the first dorsal fin larger than the rest, subulate, and divided at the tip in form of the letter TL. A single barb both on the upper and lower lip, and two over the nostrils: pectoral fins with sixteen rays; ventral seven ; anal forty-two; caudal twenty- five. Native of the Atlantic and Northern seas. TOAD GADUS. Gadus Tau. G. fusco-flavescens, nigro maculatus, labio inferiore. eirris cincto, operculis triacanthis, pinna dorsal priore triradiata, Yellowish-brown Gadus, spotted with black, with the lower lip fringed with beards, the gill-covers three-spined, and the first dorsal fin three-rayed. Gadus Tau. G. dipterygius cirratus, operculis triacanthis, pinne dorsal priore triradiata, Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 440. Gadus cirris plurimis. Bloch. pl. 67. Turs fish is so unlike the rest of the Gadi that it might almost be allowed to constitute a distinct genus: it is in fact more allied to the following genus, Blennius, under which however it cannot with strict propriety be placed. The head and fore-parts are extremely broad and depressed, while the remainder of the animal is 160 TOAD GADUS. - compressed, tapering pretty suddenly towards the tail: the eyes are large, with gold-coloured irides, and are situated towards the upper part of the head: on each side the eyes is a series of small warts: the mouth is wide; the upper jaw furnished with ‘several rows of sharp teeth; the lower with only two rows: the upper lip projects somewhat beyond the lower, which is fringed with a semicircle of short cirrhi or beards: the pectoral and ventral fins are of a sharpened form, and the first ray of the latter is very strong, and of a considerable length: the rays of the first dorsal fin, which is very small, are spiny; those of the second. dorsal, as well as of the anal and caudal, are soft, and project somewhat beyond the edge of the membrane: the tail is rounded. The colour of this fish is yellowish brown, paler beneath, and the whole body as well as the fins variegated with pretty numerous and somewhat irregular blackish spots: the tail marked by two or three transverse bars, and between the eyes is commonly observed a transverse yellow bar or band. Native of the American and Indian seas. Grows to the length of about a foot, but is generally found of smaller size. It is supposed to be of a predacious nature, but its particular history seems to be not very distinctly known. The Count de Cepede places this fish, together with the Gadus blennoides of Linnzeus, in a distinct genus, to which he gives the title of Batrachoides. el With one dorsal fin. MEDITERRANEAN GADUS. Gadus Mediterraneus. G. mawilla superiore cirris duobus, tn= feriore unico, Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1175. Gadus with two cirri on the upper lip and one on the lower. Tuts also is very nearly allied to the Gadus Mustela, insomuch that it may be doubted whether it be really a distinct species, though furnished with only the second or long dorsal fin: mouth with two beards on the upper, and one on the lower lip. Native of the Mediterranean. According to Cepede this species has but two rays in the ventral fins, for which reason he con- siders it as a Blennius. ! Quapaphpsemeqemegmerwronnmns . 2 2 ae ‘ = TORSK. Gadus Brosme. G. ore cirroso cauda ovata. Gadus with the lower lip bearded, and ovate tail. Brosme. Strom. sondm, 1. VPs 272.t.1. 7419. Pontopp. norw. 2. p. 178. Tuis species is well described in the last edition of the British Zoology under the title of the Torsk. It is an inhabitant of the Northern seas, and is not _ observed lower than the Orkney islands, and even there is rather a scarce fish. The length of the specimen communicated to Mr. Pennant was twenty inches, and the greatest depth four and a half: the V. IV. P. I. 11 162 TORSK. head small; the upper jaw a little longer than the lower, and both jaws furnished with a multitude of small teeth: on the chin was a small, single beard: from the head to the dorsal fin was a deep furrow : the dorsal fin began within six inches from the tip of the nose, and extended almost to the tail: the pectoral fins were small and rounded: the ventral short, thick, and fleshy ; ending in four cirrhi: the belly, from the throat, grew very prominent: the anal fin was long, and reached almost. close to the tail, which was small and circular: the number of rays could not be counted with accuracy by reason of the softness and the thickness of the skin: the side-line was scarcely discernible: colour of the head dusky ; of the back and sides yellow; of the. belly white: the edges of the dorsal, anal, and caudal fins were white; the other parts dusky. In the seas about Shetland this fish is said to swarm; and forms, both barrelled and dried, a considerable article of commerce. In the Gmelinian edition of the Systema Naturze this species is described (from Miller) as having an “ovate acute tail, but the descriptions and figures of other authors uniformly represent that part as of a rounded shape. BLENNIUS. BLENNY. Generic Character. Caput declive. | Head sloping. Corpus elongatum, subcom- || Body lengthened, subcom- pressum, lubricum. pressed, lubricous. Memb. branch. radiis sex. || Gill-membrane six-rayed. Pinne ventrales di, tri, s. || Ventral fins two, three, or tetradactyle, mutice. four-rayed, unarmed. With appendiculated head. CRESTED BLENNY, Blennius Galerita. B. fusco-flavescens nigro-punctatus, crista capitis transversa cutacea. Yellowish-brown Blenny, with black specks, and a transverse skinny crest on the head. Blennius Galerita. B. crista capitis transversa cutanea. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 441. Adonis, Bell. aquat. p. 219. Crested Blenny. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. pl. 96. GENERAL length about four or five inches: body long, compressed, smooth and slippery: colour yel- lowish brown, freckled with darker coloured specks: belly of a paler cast : head furnished on the middle with a transverse finny appendage, which may be 164 HORNED BLENNY. either raised or depressed at pleasure ; and between the eyes is a small triangular prominence, pointing backward, and red about the edges:-ventral fins very small, short, and didactyle: dorsal shallow, running from the hind part of the head to the tail, which is of a round shape: vent placed at some distance beyond the pectoral fins: anal fin reach- ing from the vent to the tail. Native of the Euro- pean seas, and found about the rocky coasts of | Great Britain. ae PUNARU. Blennius Cristatus. B. crista longitudinali setacea inter oculos. Lin, Syst. Nat. p.441. Ray pisc. p. 73. Punaru. Blenny with longitudinal setaceous crest between the eyes. Leneru about four inches: head thickish; eyes gold-coloured, situated towards the top of the head: over the eyes two short, red filaments: ventral fins three-rayed. Native of the Indian seas. | HORNED BLENNY. Blennius Cornutus. B. radio simplici supra oculos, pinna dorsal solitaria. Lan, Syst. Nat. p. 441. Mus. Ad. Frid. 2. p. 61. Blenny with simple ray between the eyes, and single dorsal fin. Tus, according to Linnzus, its first describer, is a small species, with a long, thin, and simple process over each eye: on the head are a great many very small or scarcely visible scattered tuber- 24. aS — Will scilp. sade => SE ee fm y) iy i] Soo /) van \7 /)}: VIVIPAROUS BLENNY . WH iH} aH | OCELLATED BLENNY. 165 cles or points : on each side the lower j jaw is a tooth longer than the rest: the skin is mucous, and freckled all over with small reddish specks. OCELLATED BLENNY. Blennius Ocellaris.. B. ceruleo-virescens, fusco subfasciatus, pinna dorsali lata, macula ocellari nigra. Blueish-green Blenny, subfasciated with brown, with broad dorsal fin marked by a black ocellated spot. - Blennius ocellaris. B. radio stmplict supra oculos, pinna at anteriore ocello ornata. Lin, Syst. Nat. p. 441. Butterfly Fish. Will. p. 131. pl. H.3. f. 2. Bloch. ohh 167. fel. 7 a Tuts species is an inhabitant of the Mediter- ranean sea, and is usually seen of the length of ‘about six or eight inches: it is numbered among edible fishes, though not much esteemed : it is of a thickish form in front, the body gradually declining towards the tail: the head is large, and slopes sud- _denly downwards : the mouth is wide, and furnished. with sharp and close-set teeth: the body is without visible scales, and is generally of a greenish cast, much deeper on the back, and marked by a few large, distant, transverse clouds or bands of a _dusky hue: on the head, between the eyes, are 4 placed two long processes or filaments, slightly sub- _ divided at their extremities : the back fin, which is. , very wide on its fore-part, is of a pale blueish tinge, clouded with dusky variegations, and is marked in the middle by a large black, or deep blue spot, sur- rounded by a whitish border. This fish is described 166 ¥ASCIATED BLENNY, by Linnzeus and some others * as having two dor- sal fins ; but Artedi and Bloch consider it as having in reality only one, the sinking in of the middle part, being in some specimens much deeper than in others, seems to be the cause of this difference of opinion. | FASCIATED BLENNY, | Blennius Fasciatus. 3B. fusco-flavescens, fasciis transversis fuscis, cirris duobus simplicibus inter oculos. Yellowish brown Blenny, with transverse brown bands, and two simple cirri between the eyes. | Blennius fasciatus. B. pinnulis simplicibus duabus inter oculos, -pinna ani radiis novendecim. Bloch. pl. 162. f. 1. Tuis fish, says Dr. Bloch, is distinguished from the rest by its simple filaments, by a pair of tufts situated between the eyes, and by having nineteen rays in the anal fin: the head is small and slopmeg : the body broad in front, and taper behind: the lateral line, which runs pretty near the back, is strait: the belly is thick; the vent placed nearer the ‘head than the tail: the body covered with a viscid mucus: the rays of the tail subdivided, those Qf the other fins simple. Dr, Bloch makes no men- ‘tion of the colour of this species, but his figure tepresents it of a pale yellowish brown, fasciated both acress the body and ‘dorsal fin with dusky bands. Its length is about six inches, Native of — the Indian ‘seas, # Cepede describes two dorsal fins, but observes that they are “sometimes 60 closely placed as to appear but one. 167 SALIENT BLENNY. Blennius Saliens. B. fuscus, nigro striatus, cirro simplici inter ~ culos, pinnis pectoralibus maximis. Brown Blenny streaked with black, with a simple cirrus on the head, and extremely large pectoral fins. Le Blennie Sauteur. Cepede 2. p. 479. Tuis small species was observed by Commerson about the coasts of some of the Southern islands, and particularly those of New Britain, in the month of July 1768. It seems to be of a gregarious nature, and is seen swimming by hundreds, and as it were flying over the surface of the water, occasionally springing up and down with great rapidity among the rocks: it seems naturally formed _ for the celerity of its movements; the pectoral fins being very large in proportion to the body: they are nearly of a cireular form when expanded, and when contracted reach almost as far as the vent on each side, This approach in point of form to the genera of Pegasus, Trigla, Scorpena, Ewocoetus, and others possessed of the power of temporary flight, seems, as Cepede observes, naturally to indicate a similar property. The body is of a very lengthened form, and greatly compressed on the sides: the upper jaw longer than the lower, so that the mouth seems to be placed underneath: the eyes are seated near the top of the head, and are large and round, with gold-coloured irides; and on the occiput rises a cartilaginous longitudinal pro- cess, of a simple cylindric form, of about four 168 _GATTORUGINE. millimetres in length: the colour of the body is brown, streaked with black, and the skin is ex- tremely mucous or slippery. When dead, the colour frequently changes to a pale blue: there is no particular appearance of a lateral line, except what results from the longitudinal trace between the dorsal and lateral muscles. The Count de Cepede farther informs us that the above species, in the manuscripts of Commerson, its first describer, is considered as a distinct genus, — under the name of Alticus, and called Alticus salta- torus, but that it is a genuine species of Blenny. The gill-membrane has at least five rays: the dorsal fin has thirty-five articulated rays; the pectoral fins thirteen ; the ventral two filiform rays; the anal twenty-six, and the tail, which is of a lanceolate shape, ten rays. GATTORUGINE. Blennius Gattorugine, B. albidus fusco transversim undulatus, pinnulis supercitorum nucheque palmatis. | Whitish Blenny, with transverse brown undulations, and palmated cirri over the eyes and the nape. Blennius Gattorugine. B. pinnulis superciliorum nucheque pal- ' matis. Lin, Syst. Nat. p, 441. Gattorugine. J¥ill, p. 132. Penn, Brit. Zool. pl. 96. Bloch. pl. 167. Tue Gattorugine is a Mediterranean species, usually growing to the length of eight or ten inches. It is of a moderately lengthened and com- > OE = a SUPERCILIOUS BLENNY. 169 “pressed form, and of a whitish or pale ash-colour, variegated, particularly on the upper parts and dorsal fin, by several transverse undulations or streaks of a darker tinge: these colours are observed to vary; the streaks and spots being sometimes olive-coloured with pale blue edges; but what particularly distinguishes the fish from its con- _ geners, is a double pair of ramified tentacula or lengthened processes on the head; the first pair being situated immediately over the eyes, and the latter pair over the back of the head: the mouth is wide, and the teeth very slender and sharp: the dorsal fin runs, as in most others of this genus, nearly along the whole length of the back; and the anal is continued from the vent to the tail. The Gattorugine is considered as an eatable fish, and feeds in the same manner as most others of the genus. SUPERCILIOUS BLENNY. Blennius Superciliosus. B. flavescens, rubro maculatus, cirris superciliorum palmatis. Yellowish Blenny spotted with red, with palmated super- ciliary cirri. Blennius superciliosus. B. pinnulis superciliorum palmatis, linea lateral curva, Lan, Syst. Nat. p. 441. Bloch. pl. 168. Tus species is of a moderately long and thick form: the head is small; the eyes rather large, with silvery irides, and immediately over each eye 170 SUPERCILIOUS BLENNY. is situated a small palmated crest or appendage, divided into three segments: the lips are large; the mouth rather wide, and the upper jaw fur- nished with several rows of teeth: the body is covered with very small scales, and is of a yellow _ or gilded tinge, paler beneath, and marked, as - well as the fins, by pretty numerous, and some- what irregular spots of dusky red: the dorsal fin commences at: the back part of the head, and is continued almost to the tail, but not far from its commencement suddenly sinks, so as almost to give the appearance of a smaller anterior dorsal fin, separate from the longer one: the pectoral fins are of moderate size; the ventral ones didac- tyle, and rather long: the vent is situated in the middle of the abdomen, from which part the anal fin commences, and reaches as far as the tail. This species is viviparous. It is a native of the Indian seas, and grows to the length of about twelve inches. 174 TENTACULATED BLENNY. Blennius Tentacularis, B, exalbidus, fufco maculatus, radie supra oculos simplici, pinna dorsali antice unoculata. Whitish Blenny, spotted with brown, with a simple cirrus over the eyes, and a large ocellated spot on the back fin. Blennits tentacularis. 2B. radio supra oculos swmplict, pinnae dorsali integra antice unioculata. Lin, Syst. Nat. .Gmel. p. 1179. Brunn. pisc. massil. No. 36. Tus small species is greatly allied to the horned Blenny before described, but is scarcely more than two inches and a half long, Cepede seems inclined to consider it as a variety of the horned Blenny caused by a difference of climate; this being a Mediterranean and the other an Indian fish. It is of an elongated form, and of a whitish colour, variegated with dusky clouds and specks; and - marked on the back fin by a large ocellated spot : above each eye is a simple tentacular process, and the head 1s marked beneath by three or four trans- verse white bars: the irides are silvery, with red specks: the dorsal and anal fins are variegated with dusky spots and streaks, 172 .SIMOUS BLENNY. Blennius Simus. 2B. cirro supra oculos minimo, pinna dorsali posterius caudali annexa, linea laterali curva. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1179. Sujet. Act. Petrop. 1779. P. 198. fe Of D4. Blenny with very small cirrus over the eyes, dorsal fin united behind to the caudal fin, and crooked lateral line. . Lenetu about three inches and a half: body smooth and very thin: mouth placed beneath: jaws arched: lips membranaceous, very thin, and serrate; teeth small, crouded, equal, in a single row: eyes very large, approximate, and pro- minent: gill-covers small, flexible, pellucid, and consisting of two pieces: vent in the middle of the body: at the origin of the dorsal fin is a fatty tubercle: tail rounded, with four or five small spurious fins placed near it. HAKE BLENNY. Blennius Phycis. B, fusco-cinereus, naribus subcristatis, cirro labit mferioris, dorso bipinni. Cinereous brown Blenny, with subcristated nostrils, a beard at the lower lip, and two dorsal fins. Blennius Phycis. B. naribus subcristatis, cirro labii wferioris, dorso bipennt. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 441. Forked Hake, Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. p. 170. Tue present species is ranked by Mr. Pennant among the Gadi, but the ventral fins, being fur- HAKE BLENNY. | Wks) nished with only two rays, seem to justify its being rather considered as a Blenny than a Gadus. It has however a general resemblance to that genus, being of a similar shape, and having a beard beneath the lower lip: it is a native of the Euro- pean seas, and is so well described by I Mr. Pennant in the British Zoology that nothing need be aided to the account there detailed. « The length of one that was taken on the Flint- shire shores was eleven inches and a half; its greatest depth three inches; but, according to Dr. Borlace *, some grow to be above eighteen inches long. The head sloped down to the nose in the same easy manner with others of this genus (Gadus): the mouth large: besides the teeth in the jaws, was a triangular congeries of small teeth in the roof of the mouth. At the end of the lower jaw was a small beard: the first dorsal fin was tri- angular; the first ray extended far beyond the rest, and was very slender: the second fin began _ just behind the first, and extended almost to the tail: the ventral fins were three inches long, and consisted only of two rays, joined at the bottom, and separated or bifurcated towards the end: the vent was in the middle of the body; the anal fin extended from thence just to the tail: the lateral line was incurvated : the tail rounded. The colour was a cinereous brown.” * Nat. Hist. Cornw. p. 268. ~ WAR. ‘Tus is ‘introduced by Ray, in his Synopsis Piscium, on the authority of Mr. Jago, a judicious ichthyologist of that age, under the title of Barbus minor Cornubiensis cirris bifurcis, or the Lesser Forked-Beard. Mr. Pennant having never seen the fish, places it next to the preceding, under the’ name of Least Hake. It is said not to exceed five inches in length: the first dorsal fin (according to the figure in Ray’s Synopsis) is shorter than that of the preceding fish: the second resembles that of the other kind: the ventral fins are bifurcated ; it has a small beard, and a rounded tail, but the head’ is shorter and more steep: the colour black, the skin smooth, and the appearance disagreeable. __ 4 : 2 ss : = : “2 3 With plain or inappendiculated head. TRIFURCATED BLENNY,. Blennius Trifurcatus. B. fu/cus, labiis albis, pinnis wentralibus _ triradiatis solutis. : Brown Blenny, with white lips, and three-rayed open ventral fins. | Trifurcated Hake. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. p. 172. pl. 32. First described by Mr. Hugh Davies of Beau- maris in Wales, who communicated it to Mr. a | TRIFURCATED BLENNY. 175 Pennant. Habit resembling that of the Gadus Tau, the head being depressed and very broad ; the eyes large; the irides yellowish ; the mouth very wide, with irregular rows of incurvated teeth: in the roof of the mouth a semilunar congeries of teeth: no tongue; beneath the lower lips a small beard: body compressed from the setting on of the pectoral fins, but remarkably so as it approaches the tail, growing very slender near that part: on the beginning of the back a furrow containing the rudiment of a first dorsal fin: the second dorsal fin reaches almost to the tail, and the anal fin corresponds: above the pectoral fins on each side, is arow of tubercles, nine or ten in number, from the last of which commences the lateral line, which at its middle descends in a curved direction, and from thence continues strait to the tail : the ventral fins were very slender, and deeply trifurcated: the ‘pectoral ones rounded and of moderate size: the length of the specimen described was twelve inches; the colour a deep brown, except the foldings of the lips, which were snow-white, giving a singular appearance to the animal. This species is evidently allied to the Gadus Tau, and was first discovered by Mr. Davies near Beaumaris. 176 PUNCTULATED BLENNY. Blennius Punctulatus. B. albidus squamosus, punctis irregula- ribus fuscis, pinnis ventralibus elongatis. Whitish scaly Blenny, with irregular brown points, and elongated ventral fins. 2 Le Blennie pointillé. Cepede 2. p. 506. pl, 12. f. 3. Tux head of this species is large, and scattered over with numerous impressed specks, which ex- tend as far as the gill-covers: the opening of the mouth is narrow, the lips thick, and the teeth sharp and close-set: the eyes very large: the body covered with very visible scales, and marked by several small, irregular clouds and spots on a paler ground: the pectoral fins very large, and ovate: the ventral composed each of two soft rays, almost as long as the pectoral fins: the dorsal commences at the back of the head, and extends as far as the tail: its rays are tipped with small filaments, more especially the eight last, of which six are rather longer and two shorter than the rest: the vent fin is distinct from the tail, which is of a rounded shape. Size, according to Cepede’s figure, about five inches. _ Described from a specis men in the Paris Museum. | 177 SMOOTH BLENNY. Blennius Pholis. &. olivaceus, subnigro alboque nebulosus, linea laterali curva, subbifida. Olivaceous Blenny, with blackish and whitish clouds, and curved sub-bifid lateral line. Blennius Pholis. B. capite lew, linea laterali curva subbifida. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 443. Smooth Blenny. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. pl. 36. Bloch. pl. 71.f. 2. Tuts species, which appears to have been known to Aristotle, is an inhabitant of the Northern and Mediterranean seas, where it commonly frequents the borders of the coasts, lying among the stones, sea-weeds, &c. and occasionally enters the mouths of rivers. It grows to the length of seven or eight inches, but is usually found much smaller: it is a fish of a strong and vigorous nature, biting fiercely when first taken, though incapable of piercing the skin on account of the smallness of its teeth: it is so tenacious of life that, according to Mr. Ray, it may be kept for the space of four and twenty hours out of water. By the help of its ventral fins it is observed to creep with ease up the sides of stones, &c. It feeds on smaller fishes and their spawn, as well as on shell-fish, sea in- sects, &c. It is caught both by the line and net, but being a coarse fish, is very little esteemed as a food, and is rather used for the purpose of a bait for other fish. In colour it is subject to vary, but is usually of a deep olive-brown, marbled with blackish clouds: sometimes it is nearly black, and o. 1¥. P. 1. | 12 —_ ‘178 HBOSCIAN BLENNY. sometimes is marked along the sides by several small whitish specks: the head is large, sloping suddenly to the mouth: the teeth slender, very sharp, and close-set: the irides red: the pectoral fins broad and rounded, consisting of about thir- teen rays: the ventral small, consisting of only two thick rays separated at the ends: the dorsal fin reaches from the hind part of the head almost to the tail: the vent is placed about the middle of the abdomen, and the anal fin reaches from thence nearly to the tail, which is rounded at the end. BOSCIAN BLENNY. Blennius Boscianus. JB. olivaceus, albido fuscoque nebulosus, ano in medio corporis, Olivaceous Blenny with brown and whitish clouds, and vent in the middle of the bédy. Le Blennie Bosquien. Cepede 2. p. 493. pl. 13. f. 1. Native of the American seas, and very common, in the bay of Charles-Town. It is extremely nearly allied to the Blennius Pholis, and like that species bites hard when taken: length about three inches and a half: colour olive, with whitish clouds or variegations, and obscure brown streaks: head inclining to a sub-triangular form: front whitish and flattish: eyes small: irides yellow: each jaw armed with very numerous, small, crooked teeth: body mucous, compressed, without apparent scales: fins spotted with brown: pectoral fins of moderate GUNNEL BLENNY. 179 size, and rounded: ventral small, and didactyle: the first eleven rays of the dorsal fin shorter and softer than the rest: the rays of the anal fin bent backwards at their tips: both anal and dorsal fins join the tail, which is of a rounded shape. This species was discovered by Mr. Bosc, by whom it was communicated to the Count de Cepede. - ~ . GUNNEL BLENNY. Blennius Gunellus. B. fusco-flavescens, fusco-punctatus, pinna dorsal ocellis circiter decem nigris. Yellowish-bfown Blenny, with deeper specks, and about ten ocellated black spots in the dorsal fin. Blennius Gunnellus. 8. pinna dorsali ocellis decem nigris, Lin. Syst. Nat. p, 443. Butter-Fish. Will. p. 115. Spotted Blenny. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. pl. 96. Bloch, pl. 71. f. 1. Tuts species is an inhabitant of the Baltic, Me- diterranean, and Northern seas, and grows to the length of about nine or ten inches: the body is of a long and very compressed form ; the head sniall ; the lower jaw longer than the upper, and both furnished with a row of small teeth: but what principally distinguishes this fish is a row of mode- _ rately distant, round, black spots, with paler circles, disposed throughout the whole length of the dorsal fin, which is shallow, and reaches from the top of the head to the tail: the pectoral fins are very small and rounded, and the ventral most extremely small, each consisting of only two short thick rays: the 180 VIVIPAROUS BLENNY. vent is situated in the middle of the abdomen, and the vent fin, which is shallow, is continued from thence to the tail; being marked in its progress by several small dusky spots near its base: the tail is small and of:a rounded shape: the colour of the body is yellow-brown, clouded and freckled with deeper specks: the skin is extremely slippery, and the rays of the back fin are strong and pungent. This fish inhabits similar situations with the B. Pholis; is of similar manners, and like that species is used by the fishermen as a bait. It is however eaten by the Greenlanders, who often dry it for that purpose. It is said to swim with considerable rapidity. Dr. Bloch observes that the specific character given by Linnzeus cannot be admitted as sufficiently exact, since the number of spots on the back fin is not constantly ten, but varies from nine to twelve. VIVIPAROUS BLENNY. Blennius Viviparus. B. olivaceus subtus albidus, supra fusce subfasciatus, naribus tubulosts. Olivaceous Blenriy, whitish beneath, subfasciated above with brown, and with tubular nostrils. Blennius viviparus, B. ore tentaculis duobus, Tan. Syst, Nat. p. 443. Viviparous Blenny. Penn. Brit, Zool, 3. pl. 37. Mustela vivipara. Will. p. 122. Bloch. pl. 72. Tuts species is considerably larger than either the Pholis or Gunnellus, being sometimes found of the length of twelve inches, It is of a moderately VIVIPAROUS BLENNY. 18] slender form, with a smooth, slippery skin, covered by small scales, and is of a yellowish olive-colour, paler beneath, and marked on the upper parts by several moderately large dusky spots, which are peculiarly conspicuous along the base of the dorsal fin, forming a kind of bars on that part and oyer the back: the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins in this species are united, while the ventral fins are very small and short, each consisting of two thiek, rounded rays: the pectoral fins are rounded, and of moderate size: the head is small, the lips thick, and the nostrils prominent and tubular: the rays of all the fins are soft. This fish, like the B. superciliosus, is distin- guished by a particularity which takes place in but very few fishes, except those of the cartilaginous tribe; being viviparous, the ova hatching internally, and the young acquiring their perfect form before the time of their birth. Not less than two, or even three hundred of these have been sometimes cb- served in a single fish. One might be apt to imagine that so great a number of young, confined in so small a space, might injure each other by the briskness of their motions; but this is prevented by the curious disposition of fibres and cellules among which they are distributed, as well as by the peculiar fluid with which they are surrounded. When the fish is thus advanced in its pregnancy, it is scarcely possible to touch the abdomen without causing the immediate exclusion of some of the young, which are immediately capable of swim- ming with great vivacity: their relative size may 182 WEESLE BLENNY. be judged of by an inspection of the annexed plate. | The Viviparous Blenny is a littoral fish, and is found about the coasts of the Mediterranean, the Baltic, and the Northern seas, and sometimes enters the mouths of rivers. It seems to vary as to the period of producing its young, which, ac- cording to some authors, takes place in the winter, or in the very early part of spring, and wie ies! to others in the summer season. Like others of its genus it feeds on the smaller fishes, insects, &c. It is taken by the line and net, but is in very small esteem as a food, though perhaps some degree of prejudice may operate in this respect, the bones, like those of the Gar-Fish, acquiring a greenish colour by boiling. WEESLE BLENNY. Blennius Mustelarius. B. pinna dorsak anteriore triradiate. Tan. Syst. Nat. p. 443. Blenny with the first dorsal fin three-rayed. A smaLuisu species, slightly described by Lin- nzeus in the work above referred to, and princi- pally distinguished by having two dorsal fins with only three rays in the first, the other being of considerable extent. * AREOLATED BLENNY. Blennius Lumpenus. B. corpore teretiusculo flavicante, areolis dorsalibus fuscis. O. Fabr. faun. Groenl. p, 151. Lin. Syst, Nat. Gmel. p. 1183. Yellowish Blenny with subcylindric body marked on the back by brown patches. A sMALLIsH species, of a palish brown colour, whitish beneath, and yellowish towards the hind part: the head is also yellow and narrower than the body: the back marked with brown patches or spots: native of the Mediterranean, inhabiting deep, sandy shores, and concealing itself among. fuci, stones, &c. in the manner of the B. Pholis and some others. FROG BLENNY. Blennius Raninus. B. fuscus, pinnis ‘wentralibus subscafidis, cirro gulari. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 444. — ; Brown Blenny, with obscurely six-cleft ventral fins, and gular cirrus. Gadus raninus. Mull. Zool. Dan. prodr, No. 359. Native-of the Northern seas, as well as of some of the larger lakes: in habit resembling the Gadus Tau, and may be considered as a kind of inter- mediate species, connecting the genera of Gadus and Blennius. By Cepede it is placed, together with the Gadus Tau, in a distinct genus under the name of Batrachoides. The head is very much flepressed, and broader than the body : the irides 184 MURANOID BLENNY. tawny: the mouth turned up, and white within: the jaws are each beset with a double row of sharp teeth: the tongue is obtuse, fleshy, and thick: the fins black, fleshy, and soft: the dorsal and anal equal, and abrupt on the hind part ; and the two first rays of the ventral fins termi- nate in a long bristle. This is not an eatable fish, and it is said that wherever it appears the other fishes retire. MURANOID BLENNY. Blennius Murenoides. B. fusco-cinerascens, subtus albidus, - pinnis ventralibus uniradiatis spinosis minimis. Brownish ash-coloured Blenny, whitish beneath, with very small, single-rayed, spiny ventral fins. Blennius Murenoides. B. membrana branchostega triradiata, pinnis ventralibus uniradiatis spinosis minimis, Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1184. Bopy compressed, sword-shaped, smooth, and without visible scales: length about six inches: colour cinereous brown, the head and belly paler : head marked by minute tubercles: front trian-, gular, rather convex: mouth oblique: jaws equal, with two rows of teeth: lateral line obscure: vent in the middle of the abdomen: dorsal fin prickly: pectoral and caudal oblong: vent fin equal. Na- tive of the northern seas ? eee hs : a . , e Pid ee er * ——S——_ ST = = ty \ \\ ) A\\Y \ \\y, \ Wi ; Wi ij Wh M, W) YENI ae) UV; Wf YU Wy Hi) f, /, Wh SS ‘* : yi sas ps TINDIAN KURTUS . KURTUS. KURTUS. Generic Character. Corpus \atum, utrinque cari- Body broad, carinated both natuin, dorso elevato. above and below; with* f Membrana branchiostega ra- greatly elevated back. diis duobus. Gill-Membrane two-rayed. INDIAN KURTUS. Kurtus Indicus. KK. argenteus, dorso aureo. Silvery Kurtus, with gold-coloured back. Kurtus Indicus. Bloch. pl. 169. Tue genus Kurtus, instituted by Dr. Bloch, consists at present of a single species only. ‘This is a native of the Indian seas, and is supposed to feed on shell-fish, small cancri, and other sea insects, the remains of which were observed in the stomach of the specimen examined by Dr. Bloch. The length of this fish was about ten inches, including the tail, and its greatest breadth something more than four inches: its shape is deep or broad, the sides being much compressed, and the back rising very high in the middle: the gill-covers consist of a large single membrane on each side: the eyes are large, with silver irides: the mouth is of moderate width, and curves down- wards: the teeth are small and numerous, stand- 186 INDIAN KURTUS. | f ; ing in several rows in each jaw: the nostrils are simple: the rays of the fins are soft, (except the: first ray of the dorsal and ventral,) projecting somewhat beyond the membrane of the fin. The colour of the whole body is silvery as if covered with foil, without any appearance of scales: the back is tinged with gold-colour and: marked ‘by three or four black spots on its ridge, and the fins have a reddish cast. END OF PART £. | ZOOLOGY , Or SYSTEMATIC /IVATUORAL HISTORY ¥ by HAW M.D.F. nS &e. WITH PLATES | from the firft Authorities and moft select specimens Ongeaved frrrcijully ly Cy ,) M* HEATH. ———— Oo eet . VOL.IV. Part 2. : P isc FE S.. London Printed Sion! G. Kearsley Fleet Street 1803. ic i gon « GENERAL ZOOLOGY. VOLUME IV.——PART II. PISCES. LONDON. PRINTED FOR GEORGE KEARSLEY, FLEET-STREET 5 BY THOMAS DAVISON, WHITE-FRIARS. SR aoe 1803. . : : wera pihermmrenanipren sien Et sowie Gc O-N-T EN TS OF VOL. IV.—PART IL. Wate Page CANTHURUS ceEnus 374 ae Unicorn 374 ee round-fronted , Beg oe ao See ee wie B77 pee ee lancet 379 — blackish 380 —_————- military 380 _———— triradiated 381 -———— guarded 381 violet - striped win gt me ie Gy SOQ ——-—— dusky 383 wee Achillean 383 eee lineated 384 ——-~—— umbre 384 — speckled . 385 broad finned 385 Band-Fish, common 187 188 Band-Fish, rough-finned ——-——- Hermannian BoprIaNnus GENuUs Bodian, purple-backed five-spined Aya : large-scaled spotted Louti palpebral . silvery Apua guttated Zebra Rogaa — lunated black-and-white star-eyed Bull-Head, river Page 1gt 101 569 5690 570 570 571 5714 572 572, 573 573 574. 574. 575 575 576 577 254 iV CONTENTS. Bull-Head, grunting . 255 Lasher, 2°. ww) a7 four-horned 259 a rough 2) Wel) 2G insidious . 260 Marseilles . 201 ———— Madagascar 2061 SoS oD — MACK ia: \ anh BO" ——- Southern . 263 mailed’ . | =k). 263 —— Japanese . 204 single-spined 205 CEPOEA GENUS 4) 2) 187 CHETODON GENUS . 323 -imperial . 324 ————- Paru ... 325 ————- Angel . 325 —— ———elliatedah eee —— -fasciated . 327 mW SILAG. 9 ody Sine Beery - Kieinian ., ....328.) - eight-banded 329 en - annular -. 830 ———__- collared 2 OtaaL sees black-and-white ° : . - dol - Argus. . 332 -bimaculated 333 - striped - 334 a divided”. 384 iat single-spotted 335 =e ~——_———- wandering . 330 -ocellated . 337 -rostrated . 337 ——-——— Orb. . 339 Chzetodon, Butterfly . chalybean . arcuated —__———- bifasciated horned ———_——-- Bat long-finned - red-striped - sickle - Charioteer - Aruan - Chinese . - spotted ——_——- biaculeated —————- golden-side ——_—-- lunulated ———- golden... —_——- Asfur - geometrical ———- trifasciated —_—_———- great-finned ——- Chili . - pleat-nose ——-—— glaucous - rhomboid ——__——-- bordered - tricolor ————-- speckled - Peacock . ——_———- Curassoa . ————- Bengal - rock —_——-——- Mauritian - punctated - round 330 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 348 349 350 351 351 352 353 353 354 . 395 355 350 356 357 - 358 359 360 361 362 362 - 363. 364 364.8 | 305 306 - single-spotted 306 ~ OF biGular .:...« Eee 367 - | ee Cheetodon, silver . - Boddaertian —___——- Sargoid ——-————- canescent ————- scaleless ————-- sordid - Lamark's Gases ————-- Plumier’s - constricted - armed CorYPH ANA GENUS Coryphene, common - Brasilian - Plumier’s —_———-- blue - Razor - five-spotted —__——.- gilt-tail ~ striped ——_—-—- Parrot —————- Mackrel ~ undulated — — - sailing - lineated - Japanese - greenish - Chinese - flat-snouted = - sharp-tailed: - half-finned — - long-snouted —————-- branchiostegous ° e - clypeated CoTtTrusGENUS . £ CONTENTS, Vv 367 | Dory, Brasilian 281 368 Indian 282 368 ciliated . 283 369 insidious 284. 869 common . 285 370 ST Opah ° ° 287 370 square 291 371 red , 2902 VA 372, | Flounder, Holibut 205 | 373 | smaller . 296 —_——— Plaise 207 919 Dab hic 208 Smear Dab . 2099 912 | long-Dab . 300 214 Flounder 301 Q15 rose-coloured 302 216 | Sole 302 217 Venetian 304 218 | Pallasian 305 219 | —_——+— Zebra 306 999 || —-—— slender-finned 306 991 || —————- Carolina Flounder 221 x . . . 3806 j9% 1 ocellated »' 307 924. | ———-—— Rondeletian . 307 D904 | —_—_—-— platessoid 308 995 Wika aS SUVEL 308 995 ——_——- smooth 309 goog Waa bearded 309 296 || —~————— marbled 310 Nena ra pavonian 310 227 — lineated 311 aaa Turbot . 312 927 || ———— Pearl 315 228 — Whiff 316 —————— bilineated 317 254 — — ornamented 317 Vi Flounder, large-scaled 318 ——sinistrous , 318 ——-— Argus . 319 ————— rem Stellated Sed — Carolina ew Japanese , 322 GASTEROSTEUS GENUS 604 GoBilus GENUS «¢ 232 Goby, common . . 232 - lance-tailed*. . 233 - Boscian io eo ee ——- blue ZOD ~-————-- Broussonet’s 236 -———- spotted “gamelan be! 61 0) ——- blue-finned 237 -———- Boddaertian 238 ——- hare-lipped 239 - Paganel ‘ 240 - red-fronted . 240 ——-QOtaheitee . . 241 ——-- Arabian 242 ———-black . . . 248 e——- black-finned « 243 - clouded Cie ee 2: ——- Chinese . 245 ——- Plumier’s . . 246 ——- pectinated 246 —- Schlosserian » 246 ——- Eel — Re ges ANT eeee- Carp . . . “947 ail. Nilotie «asc 948 wm Dlack -tailed . 248 GOBIOMORUS GENUS 249 CONTENTS. Gobiomore, Southern . 249 sleeping . 250 ————_—_--=—- Gronovian 251 Kolreuterian 251 —_—_——_— ——. Pisonian 252 great-headed 253 Care oe enn GompHosus GENUS . 479 bine; A79 ————_——— variegated 480 Gurnard, grey 619 - Piper el, - Cuckow 620 - Asiatic, 4) Oa - sapphirine . 621 ~ flying 622 ———- springing . 622, - Lucerna 623 - Carolina. 624 - Japanese . 624. ————- minute . 625 - Cavillone 025 - punctated 626 -lineated . . 626 - pine . 627 ~ mailed 628 - Chabrontera . 629 GYMNETRUS GENUS . 103 - Ascanian 193 ———-~-—- Russelian 1095 ———-———- Blochian 107 —— - Cepedian 198 HOLocENTRUS GENUS 553 Sogo . 5953 f CONTENTS. Holocentrus, Schraetzer 554 pn eee = Radula . 554 — Gaterina 555 ——__—_—— greenish 555 | five-lined 555 Sekt Bengal 550 hae Tigrine 550 aes —_——— decussated 557 pe striated 557 argentine 558 Seay mere 8's" 550 ee Co acerine . 559 i blueish 559 —_+_—— variegated 559 Cottoid 560 ——___—_—— Philadelphic UE Rilo k Aol aa ermal 0,8) ai great 5600 Shee Forskal’s 561 UW secre Tauvin. 561 i Ongo 561 ae golden . 562 four-lined 562 fasciated 502 punctated 503 spur-gilled 563 African 564 Japanese 505 —_——— Merra . 565 | tortoise-shell (@umperssewearees margined 506 Sonnerat’s 567 ——____—_———.. lanceolate 567 ee ee ————_——— blue-spotted 568 + . e Surinam 504 | { | Holocentrus, pied Imminset, long-tailed . | Knight-Fish, American LABRUS GENUS’ - Hepat —- eared - Oyena -- falcated - operculated ~ Ceylonese ———--- rufous - grey . - Jaculator - lunar - hooped - hirsute - half-red - trilobate . ~ Scare - chain - bifasciated - four-spined —-——- demi-disk - forked - six-banded - bellied ———-- filamentous - angular - punctulated ———- smooth - long-snouted . - black-bellied . - eight-striped . -- Commersonian Vil 568 229 387 481 481 482 482 482 483 483 484. 484. A85 485 480 486 A486 487 487 488 A488 489 ASQ 490 490 490 AQl 4Q1 4gl 492 492 A4Q2 AQ3 493 viil Labrus, large-finned | — fifteen-spined . —— great-headed ce" Plumier’s . Gouan’s nine-spined. meee red-lined broad-striped ———- undulated annulated . Brasilian Peacock Eailan ancient varying green ——-— striped bimaculated trimaculated Comber Cook , Cornubian : Leopard ————— marginal —~ ocellate black-eyed w——— Nilotic . 4 browed , — cinereous . mixed ; dark fulvous fuliginous . fuscous ——— marbled -—--—— large-tailed crenulated ¢ « ‘ ? e e CONTENTS. 494 || Labrus, parterre 404 Parrakeet . . 494 blood-spotted » AQ5 ~ full-eyed 495 || ————~ Ascanian 495 || —-——— beautiful - 496 || ——— bull-eyed AQ6 || ———— blue-finned 496 — chequered 497 || ~———-— smiaill-scaled 407 || ——-—- girdled 498 || ——-— Diana 498 || ——~— great-toothed 499 || ——-— Neustrian 500 || ——-— perdic 501 || ——-— soft-backed - 501 || ——-— Guaza . . 502 || ——-—- obscure 502 |} ——-— Chinese 503 || ———-—- Japanese . - 503 || ———-— linear. 504 || ———— lunulated 504 || ———_— reticulated 505 || ——-— guttated 505 || ——— guttulated . 605 || ——— Bergylt 506 || -——— carinated 506 || ———— white-banded . 500 || ——-— punctated 507 || ——— pleat-lipped 507 || -——— Onite 507 || ——-— anile . 508 || ——-— Norwegian 508 || ——-— Jurella 509 - Parrot 509 |} ———— Karut «- 909 || ———— cupreous 510 510 511 511 912. 512 513 513. ‘514 514 515 515 515 516 516 517 517 518 §18 518 519 519 520 520 521 521 522 522 522 523 523 524 524 525 526 526 527 LoncuURUS GENUS bearded MacRovuRvws GENUS Mackrel, common - Coly - Japanese - gilded - Tunny - Thazard . - Germon . ~ Sarda salient . -~ Pilot - Zebra - toothless: . - Bonito - Commerson’s - Alatunga : - Madagascar - Botla - Leopard - mottled - black - Ascension - small ‘ - aculeated ~ spur . - rhomboid - saddled - brownish . - black-necked © - Sead . - Rottlerian 4 Plumier’s ————- purse-eyed ° ° CONTENTS. 1x 531 || Mackrel, Carang . . 599 531 -- red 600 - chlorotic 600 229 || ————- Kleinian . 601 ———- Hippos 601 Bi, - yellow-tailed . 602 580 - Ferdau 602 580 -- beautiful 603 581 | 581 || MuLutus GENUS . 611 583 sali 3 584 || OPHICEPHALUS GENUS 529 584 585 || PERca GENUS . . 545 586 587 || Perch, common 5° 5AG 587 - Sandre . 547 588 || ——-. Volga 547 589 || ——-- Ruffe 4 548 590 || ——- Whiting . 548 590 |} ——- Arabian 549 591 || ——- Lophar 549 591 || ——- Nilotic . 550 502 - ocellated 550 593 -small-. 550 593 || ——- Zingel . 551 594. Zingelin 551: 504 595 || PLEURONECTES GENUS 204 595 590 || Remora, Mediterranean 201 596 - Indian 209 507 - lineated 211 597 , 598 || ScARUS GENUS 394 598 Cretan 304. 599 || ———— green 305 x Scarus, rivulated . . 396 || Sciena, Plumier’s ‘ -stellaed . . 396 Mauritian : ao——red . .« . 397 Coro Be be Parrot *« « 307 || ———ciliated . . ————pupled . . 308 Cappa des inp Plath -9006)!. ~ 2 898 scale-backed . Schlosserian « 399 - single-spotted . ~ blue-striped 399 gibbous ferruginous 400 silver-spotted - sordid mY Ne ( AGO: | reds Rat ae rostrated . 401 long-spined — Jarbua ; ScorPENA GENUS . 267 gold-striped . — porcine 267. |i - black ene ig rufous 268 | large-scaled horrid 269 spotted - Plumier’s . 270 cylindric — Commersonian pee ek a Wal a, eZ ie a Ue ees — Cape . 272 - Gilthead . a bicapillated 273 ~ Rajat —_————— brachiated 274 - Lutian aculeated 274. - red-tailed American 275 - Bream ———_—-—— spiny 2706 - Mendole . ——e bearded... 276 - annular ———— flying 277 - great-eyed antennated 278 - rose . ‘ . didactyle . 279 ~ Pugrernita eng “= TOUBEE EMA irq SCIENAGENUS . . 533 --falcated . . ———- bearded . . 533 - Salp eye: -- Basse 534 || —-——- violet ie - two-spined 535 anchor-toothed —- pike-headed 535 - dog-toothed . -lineated . ——- punctated \ CONTENTS. 536 -fasciated . - Abilgaard’s . Sparus, green-tailed UY teenie red-finned Baar is —— vold-tailed —— blue-banded Oriental . rufous-banded ———. spined . bull-eyed . —— Sarb . —— two-banded - Smare : - black-tail. .. -silver. . Synagre . ; broad : virgated ——— Hassara . Berda ‘ Chili ‘ - golden-eyed spine . - Mormyre . brownish . Osbeck’s . —— variegated —— Marseilles Castaneola Brunnich’s —~ Mahsena . ——— Harak ; - Ramak . 7 great-eyed - silver-eyed gold-green Mylostome Sees Mylio ° . ~424 CONTENTS. A135 Al3 414 414 Al15 415 416 A16 |} }———— Niphon . AI7 AW A18 418 A109 A1Q Aig | 420 420 420 A421 421 A22 422 422 423 423 423 424 A424 A25 425 420 4260. 426 427 427 428 Sparus, Commersonian golden-lined black-tail — leaping poisonous , Salita) Jaba't'; ———— dusky-backed . ——— blue ———-—— scaly-tailed ——-- moon . ———— bilobate wae Cardinal ——-—- Chinese —-— bufonite ——-— Parrot —— Virginian . —-— Anthia ——-—- Ascension ——— stigma ——-— pentagram . ——-— silvery ——— Serran —— Squirrel ——— Hamrur ——-—- diagram ——— silver-eyed ——— striated ——-— Vosmaer’s —elliptic . ——— Japanese hexagonal . ———- lunulated ——— gold-banded ——— naked-headed ——-— triangle. Xi Sparus, small-mouthed ——-—~ insidious —— Orph . ——— Maroon ——-~ rhomboid . — reticulated —— Galilean — rock ——-—. Peacock ——-— radiated -. livid — variegated ——— black-finned ~———— green-finned ——— zonated —— punctulated ——— sanguine ——— Atlantic ——— black-banded ——— Acara ——-— Nochunda —— — hemispheric ——— Panther ——-— brachiated . wre Macc: ——— Desfontaine’s ——— Norwegian ——— Surinam ——— ten-spined Scina Lapina ——-— ramentous . -— ocellated ——— gibbous —- olivaceous . Brunnich’s —--——- JVarseilles .CONTENTS. 445 || Sparus, Adriatic . 445 magnificent 446 || ——— Polymna 446 || ——-— palpebral 447 || ——-— black . ‘ 447 || ——-— golden-finned . 448 || ——-— Mediterranean . 448 || ——-— vittated 449 || ——-— Scribe 449 || ——~-— Chinese 450 || ———-— spear . 450 i ——-— saddled 451 || ———-— bident 451 || ——-— marked 452 || ——-— Linkian... 452 || ———— greenish-finned 452 | — — long-headed 453 || ———— bifasciated 454 || ——-— Argus A455. || ———— "Tranquebar 455 || ———— tortoise-shell 456 || ———— semi-fasciated . 456 || ——-— trilineated . 4506 || ——-— patched A57 || ———— Oriental 457 || ——— Cepedian 458 || ——-— perculine . 458 || ——-— sealed 459 || ——— climbing 459 — chztodontoid 459 || ———— two-spined 460 || ——-— Cayenne 460. | ———-— trident 461. || ——-— trilobate AGL A462 || Surmullet, red 402 striped . 462 A63 463 AG4 AGA. AG5 AGS A65 466 AGG A66 AG7 467 A68 468 A69 A69 470 A70 47}. 47] 472 AgD, 473 473 A473 474, 474, 475 476 476 477 477 478 611 613 CONTENTS. Xi | Stickleback, Canada . 609 Surmullet, oriflamme . 613. indian. . O14 Band es Os Japanese . 615 ——— banded. . 616 trifasciated . 616 bifasciated . 617 spotted.) o-.g.cOLy, radiated . 618 gold-striped . 618 beardless . 618 SCOMBER GENUS me 7A0) Stickleback, common . 604 —smaller . 6006 — fifteen-spined 607 —minute . 608 — two-spined 608 Carolina . 608 | ——_—--——— skipping . 609 — Japanese . 610 TRACHICHTHYS GENUS 630 — Southern 630 TRICHOPUS GENUS . 388 — Goramy . 388 ——————- Arabian . 390 — Satyr - 391 — Pallasian . 392 — monodactyle 392 TRIGLAGENUS . . 619 VANDELLIUS GENUS 1909 Vandel, Lusitanian » 199 Directions for placing the Plates in vol. IV. part II. The Vignette represents the Chetodon geometricus, de- scribed at p. 354. Plate 26 to face page 186 Plate 50 to face page 375 27 192 Sil, eeqcetees ape OG rink tien LOS 52) setae oo JQ: teem 96 . #2 eee ge iggy eae 157 a 00 55 a a 32 ———_ 213 56 a a4 Bo) ae SE Sih creosote: OBB SBetsieeettie aise cabin 5 Ph 255 ll 59 All 55 Se ae ae A415 37 ————._ 261 6: ———-+ 434 38 ——— 2066 62 ————. 435 20) ee 260 63 ae) dee AQ feeds | 071 G4 | cee 41 -—————._ 280 05 4A) 22 eG G5* ee ae 43 ——_—_—_ 206 66 a 43*———._ 303 67 478 44 ———_— 304 68 484. A5 ———— 319 69 —————_ 491 46 —————__ 325 69* ——_——_ 406 a7 331 70 ————-._ 496 48 ————._ 344 71 ——————s__ 40) Directions for placing the Plates, Plate 73 toface page 511 74 = 45 76 ——— “4 FO as amen fis 80 81 82 teen. 512 beeen tri) (D7 woe 8 531 eee = 533 538 See, BAA 552 at te, B57 504 Plate $3 to face page 571 De RR SS OT ee SR Se me 576 588 601 605 612 617 618 623 631 ERRATA.—VOL. IV. PART II, P. 410, 1. 13, for Sparus chrysops, Bloch. read Lutianus Chrysops, Bloch. P. 578, 1. 22, place the asferish 1, 22, at line 1, after the werd aud. Be. RIS UME r TY HSI CNV NOWNAO ) n) FISHES. THORACIC! CEPOLA. BAND-FISH. Generic Character. Caput breve: dentes cur- || Head short: teeth curved, vati, acuti. sharp. Corpus longissimum, com- | Body very long and com- pressum, abdomine bre- pressed: abdomen ex- Vissimo. tremely short. Membr. branch. radiis sex. || Gall-Membrane six-rayed. COMMON BAND-FISH. Cepola Tenia. C. argenica, pinnis rubris, capite obtusissimo, cauda attenuata. Silvery Band-Fish, with red fins, very obtuse head, and attenuated tail. T88 COMMON BAND-FISH. ‘Cepola Tenia. C. pinna caude attenuata, capite obtusissime. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 445. 7 Tenia auctorum. Artedi gen. 83. syn. 114. Cepola capite truncato. Block. pl. 170. Tus remarkable species is of a form so thin and flat in proportion to its length as to have obtained among the ancient -ichthyologists the title of ‘Teenia or ribband-fish. It is a native of the Mediterranean sea, and is sometimes found of the length of three or four feet, though the generality of specimens do not exceed the length of eighteen mehes or two feet: the head is short, and rounded, or rather truncated in front: the mouth is wide, opening downwards; the lower jaw somewhat ex- ceeding the upper in length: both are armed with moderately large, sharp, and curved teeth, placed in a single row in the upper, and m a double one inthe lower jaw: the tongue is broad and rough: the eyes very large, with silvery irides: the abdo- men, properly speaking, is so very short as scarce to exceed the length of the head, and from this part the body is continued of equal diameter for a great extent, gradually tapering as it approaches the tail: the sides are extremely compressed, and — the body, both above and below, sharpens into a kind of carina or ridge: the pectoral fis, which are placed immediately beyond the gills, are ovate, — and of moderate size: beneath them are situated the ventral fins, which are of nearly similar form: the dorsal, which is of moderate breadth, and fur- nished with pretty numerous distinct rays, com- co ie COMMON BAND-FISH, 189 mences from the back of the head, and is con- tinued as far as the tail, which is of moderate size and of an oval shape: the vent fin commences at a small distance from the ventral ones, and like the dorsal is continued to the beginning of the tail: the colour of the body is bright silver, with a dusky tinge above, and marked along the sides by a few obscure, distant, and rather large reddish spots : the lateral line runs strait through the middle of the body from the head to the tail: the fins are all of a pale red colour, and the skin is covered with ex- tremely small scales.. This fish is said to swim with great rapidity, in the manner of the Trichiure, and to present a beautiful spectacle by the undulating flexures of its body. It is of a predacious nature, living principally on the smaller kind of crabs and shell-fish, the remains of which are said to be usually found in its stomach. From its extreme thinness, which is such as almost to permit the vertebre to be seen through the sides, it is scareely considered as an eatable fish. It is observed to frequent the neighbourhood of the shores, in order the more readily to obtain its food, and is occasionally used by the fishermen for the purpose of a bait. 190 RUBESCENT BAND-FISH. Cepola Rubescens. C. rubescens, pinna caude attenuata, maxillis ts s @cutts. Reddish Band-fish, with attenuated tail, and pointed jaws. Myrus alter, sive Serpens rubescens Rondeletiit. Aldr. pisc. p. 367. Ophidium macropthalmum, Lan. Syst. Nat. ed. X. p. 259. Tuts species, which seems to be far rarer than the preceding, and which is not very distinctly described by those authors who have seen it, is said to have a pointed rather than a rounded head, and to be not so thin in the body: to be of a pale red colour throughout, marked transversely by nu- merous, narrow, and somewhat undulated streaks : lateral line as in the preceding species: back and vent fin placed as in the former, but shallower, and with more disjoined or separated rays : indeed from the expression of Rondeletius one might doubt whether he meant that the rays were connected. by any membrane or not; (“ In dorso a capite ad caudam velut capillamenta tenuia a sese disjuncta ; in ventre similia.”) It is questioned, and not with- out reason, by Willughby whether the fish be any thing more than some variety of the former kind ; and so far as can be judged from the rude figures of Rondeletius and Aldrovandus, it can scarcely be considered as a distinct species. It is said to be. a native of the Mediterranean. 191 ROUGH-FINNED BAND-FISH. » ©epola Trachyptera. C. capite declivi, macilla utraque forni= cata, pinnis aculeatis serratis scabris. Lin. Syst. Nut. Gmel. ip. 1187. Band-fish with sloping head, arched jaws, and prickly, serrated, rough fins. Native of the Mediterranean: observed in the Adriatic Gulf: described as having a strait lateral line, with a single row of scales, and the first rays _of the fins strong, sharp, and rough. HERMANNIAN BAND-FISH. _ Cepola Hermanniana. (C. capite angulato, oculis nunimis, ore cirroso, cauda subulata. _ Band-Fish with angular head, extremely small eyes, bearded mouth, and subulate tail. Le Tznioide Hermannien. Cepede, 2. p. 533, pl. 14. Descrizep by Cepede, who ranks it in a distinct genus, under the title of Tinioides. He observes that though of the same general form, thinness, &c. yet it differs in many points from the true Cepole. The eyes are so small as to be with great difficulty discovered, and consist of two small black points : there is no caudal fin, the tail terminating in the same manner as in the Trichiures, viz. in a fine point: the dorsal fin, which is very shallow, with | soft rays, commences at no great distance from the head, and is continued to the extremity of the 4 192 HERMANNIAN BAND-FISH. tail: the vent is situated opposite the origin of the back fin, and from it commences a very short and shallow vent fin, continued only to a small distance beyond the vent: the pectoral fins are moderately large, rounded, and furnished with numerous, soft, — setaceous rays: the head, which is of moderate - size, is as it were marked into facets, as repre- sented on the plate, and at the mouth are placed a few cirri or beards of unequal length: there are no visible scales on the skin, and the disposition of the muscles may be traced through it: the pectoral and anal fins are marked by a few small black specks. , This fish takes its specific name from Professor Hermann. of Strasburg, so well known by his learned labours in natural history. It seems to have been described from a dried specimen, and in point of natural affinity, may be considered as equally allied to the genera of Cepola and Tri- chiurus. No mention is made of its colour or its. native region. F., w Se Ph ie “LQMIS* TIL i >SOULANWAD NVINVOSY E 3 3 = GYMNETRUS. GYMNETRUS. Generic Character. Corpus longissimum, com- || Body extremely long, com- pressum. pressed. Denies numerosi, subulati. || Teeth numerous, subulate. Membr. branch. 4—5—ya- || Gill-membrane four or five- diata. rayed. . Pinna analis nulla. Anal fin wanting. ASCANIAN GYMNETRUS. - Gymnetrus Ascanii, G. argenteus, corpore longitudinaliter Susco punctato, cirris ventralibus apice dilatatis. _ Silvery Gymnetrus, speckled longitudinally with brown points, and with the ventral cirri dilated at the tips. _ Regalecus Glesne. scan. ic. rer. nat. t. 11. Tu IS extraordinary fish seems te have been almost unknown till within the space of a few years past ; nof are its characters and history yet so dis- tinctly ascertained as might be wished. It is a native of the northern seas, and seems to have been first described by Professor Ascanius in his work entitled Icones rerum natularium, &c. The length of the specimen was ten feet, and the diameter, which was equal throughout the whole length, i ec 13 ; 194 ASCANIAN GYMNETRUS. about six inches: the head short, the mouth small, and the eyes rather large: on the upper part of the head, before the commencement of the dorsal fin, were situated seven or eight upright, naked rays or processes, of moderate length : the dorsal fin, which — was rather shallow, commenced at a small distance beyond these, and running along the whole length of the back, formed by its continuation the tail-fin, which was carried to a very small distance beneath the body, there being, properly speaking, no vent- fin: the pectoral fins were very small, of a slightly ovate or rounded shape, and situated at a small distance from the head: the ventral fins, if they can be said to deserve the name, consisted of a pair of extremely long single rays or processes ter- minated by a small ovate expanded tip or finny extremity: the gill-covers appeared to consist of five or six radiated laminz : the colour of the whole body was bright silver, with a blueish cast diffused ever the upper part of the back: the lateral line’ was strongly marked, and ran from the gill-covers to the tail, and the sides of the body were marked by several longitudinal double rows of slightly ex: tant, very small, dusky specks: the forehead was . white; the fins pale brown. This fish is said to be generally seen either. pre- ceding or accompanying the shoals of herrings in | the northern seas, for which reason it is popularly. . known by the title of King of the Herrings. RR AIT pee CLUE QS SSE “SOQULANWAD NVITASS OW a = ine ———————_—____ = : 3 AW | N ! | ll % = a | (®) i Nt 4 SD N Y j : Y \ Y \ Y ° RUSSELIAN GYMNETRUS. - 195 VARP Russelian Gymnetrus. Descrisep from a drawing in the possession of Dr. Russel. General proportions similar to those of the first described species, except that the dorsal fin is considerably wider: from the top of the head proceeds an extremely long process, passing to a. considerable distance over the back: this process is very broad at its base, where it appears to be strengthened by four stout rays, which gradually coalesce in their progress till at length they form a single filament: at some little distance beyond the base isa second process of similar form, but much shorter and consisting but of one ray gradually lessening to its point: the pectoral fins are very small: the ventral processes are of great length, but terminate in mere filaments, without any dilated extremities, and the tail, which consists of a lanceolate membrane strengthened by two ex- ternal or bounding rays, is furnished with a similar terminating filament : the colour of the whole body is bright silver; the fins pale brown; the dorsal fin, edged with a dusky border. The length of the above specimen, which was taken near Vizagapatam in the year 1788, was two feet eight inches from head to tail. It might there- fore be considered either as a variety, or a sexual difference of the preceding species in a younger | 196 | RUSSELIAN GYMNETRUS. state ; the differences being not such as absolutely to contradict this supposition. From Dr. Russel’s memorandums on this subject, politely communicated during my description of this genus, it appears that no teeth were visible in either jaw, whereas in the Ascanian fish the teeth “are expressly said to have been of a subulated form: - the opercula consisted of two oblong, flexible, streaked plates: the abdomen was very short, and the vent placed near the head: (in the Ascanian fish it was situated towards the middle of the ab- domen.) The caudal fin was not united with the dorsal, and consisted of four rays, connected at the base by a thin membrane, and afterwards joined together and ending in a setaceous thread. The gill-membrane had five rays; the dorsal fin 320: (in the Ascanian fish, notwithstanding its vast ; jength, there were only 120.) The pectoral fin had ‘eleven rays, the ventral two, and the caudal four™. In the British Museum is a dried specimen of a fish which appears to be nearly allied to the pre- ceding, but which is not sufficiently perfect to admit of very exact description: the body is much shorter in proportion: the lateral line extremely strong or distinct: the colour of the whole animal, except the fins and processes (which are red), a bright silver; and from the top of the . * I must here observe that, (regarding the number of rays itt the fins of fishes, and more especially in those which have long and shallow fins, as a character on which no very great depend= ence is to be placed,) I have not been solicitous to introduce it, except in a few instances, into. the present work. . y “7 * e ‘ | ® f Yi a Pia i at ) NN dhl} iaay ( init / wl \ \ . | B a“ We iW) y MII) Y BLOCHIAN GYMNETRUS - BLOCHIAN GYMNETRUS. 197 head proceeds a very strong horn-shaped process of the length of several inches, gradually tapering into a slender extremity: the length of this specimen is about four feet and a half, and the breadth about five inches, exclusive of the back fin. BLOCHIAN GYMNETRUS. Gymnetrus argenteo-cerulescens, fasciis linearibus obliquis, ma= culisgue rotundatis fuscis, pinnis rubris, ventralibus quatuor. Blueish-silvery Gymnetrus, with oblique, linear, brown bands, | and rounded spots, red fins, and four ventral processes. ‘ . Gymnetrus Hawkenii. G. pinnae ventrali biradiata. Bloch. pl. 423. Tuis, which is a native of the Indian seas, and which appears also to be occasionally seen in those of Europe, is described by Dr. Bloch from a draw- ing communicated by J. Hawkins, esq. In its general appearance it is much allied to the pre- ceding kinds, but appears to be furnished with two pair of ventral processes, which are of considerable length, and terminate in large, dilated, finny ex- tremities of an oval form: the back-fin is continued as far as the tail, which, in the figure given by Dr. Bloch, is represented as of the usual form in the generality of fishes, (a circumstance probably owing to a mistake of the draughtsman™.) The colour of this species is silvery, with a blueish cast * I am assured ty Mr. Hawkins that this is really the case; the specimen from which the drawing was taken having been defective in that part. 198 CEPEDIAN GYMNETRUS, 2 * on the upper parts, and several transverse, alter- nate, brownish shades continued along the body, accompanied by large, distant round spots of a - similar colour : the fins and processes deep crimson ; the pectoral fins pretty large in proportion. It appears from a print, published in the year 1798, that a specimen of this fish was thrown on the coast of Cornwall in the month of February in the same year. Its length was eight feet six inches, its breadth in the widest part ten inches and a half, and its thickness only two inches and three quarters: the tail in this specimen was wanting: the colours the same as in the specimen figured by Dr, Bloch, CEPEDIAN GYMNETRUS. Le Regalec lanceolé. Cepede pisc. 2. p. 219. Tuis, which must be considered as a doubtful species, is described by Cepede from a coloured Chinese drawing belonging to the Museum of the Prince of Orange. The author refers it to the pre- sent genus from the circumstance of its wanting the anal fin, and gives it the trivial name of lan- ceolatus from the shape of its tail, which is pointed at the tip, This fish is of a gold-colour, shaded with brown, and is destitute of the ventral fins or appendages so remarkable in the other species. oe ‘f a “SOULANWAAY NVICATdIaD OO: VANDELLIUS. VANDEL. Generic Character. Corpus longissimum, ensi- || Bodyextremelylong, sword- forme. shaped. Membr. branch. vadiis quin- || Gill-membrane five or six- que vel sex. rayed. Dentessubulati, anterioribus || Teeth subulate, those in front majoribus. largest. LUSITANIAN VANDEL. Vandellius Lusitanicus. V. argenteus, cauda furcata. Silvery Vandel, with forked tail. Trichiurus ensiformis. WVandelli. Brit. Mus. Tuts fish, of which a dried specimen, in good preservation, occurs in the British Museum, is found, though very rarely, in the Mediterranean and Atlantic seas ; has been sometimes taken near Lisbon, and has been considered by Dr. Vandelli of Coimbra as greatly allied to the genus Tri- chiurus. The length of the specimen in the British Mu- seum is four feet eight inches; the breadth (ex- clusive of the back fin, which is about an inch 900 LUSIFANIAN VANDEL. wide) three inches and a half; and the thickness very slight in proportion. The head is of the usual form in the generality of fishes, and the lower jaw somewhat exceeds the length of the upper: the mouth is moderately wide, and furnished, both above and below, with a row of middle-sized, sharp teeth, but of which the two front ones m the upper jaw, as‘well as two lateral ones at no great distance from them, far exceed the rest in size: the tongue is cartilaginous, spatular, and about three quarters of an inch in length: the eyes very large, with silvery irides: the gil!-covers consist of a large single piece on each side, and the gill-membrane is furnished with five rays: the dorsal fin is continued from the hind part of the head throughout the whole length of the back, as far as the tail, which is small and very much forked, with sharp tips: the pectoral -fins are-of moderate size, thin, ovate, or rather subacute, with about twelve rays: the. anal fin is much shallower than the dorsal, and commences at the distance of but a few inches from the tail, to.the base of which it is continued: the lateral line commences from the upper part of the head, and runs strait to the tail: the colour of the whole fish, except on the fins and tail, which are pale brown, is rich silver, with a dusky blueish tinge towards — the back, and without any appearance of scales: the dorsal fin has 105 pretty strong rays; the pectoral fins about 1%; the anal 20, and the tail 20, subdivided at their tips. ae F ‘ %. ve - ». F . * he . ¥ t = — i < ai , " ‘ c : i * -* " AAs . ww 3 i} 5 A ‘ Li oe ~ Aba) AP is 5 ate ON 31 APIIS WU ° ° VEOWAY NVICGNT WMOW AW NV ANY Sea Oa - ECHENEIS. REMORA. Generic Character. Caput nudum, clypeo ovato || Head furnished above with -planotransversimsulcato. |} a flat, ovate, transversly : + — sulcated shield. _Gill-membrane six-rayed. Body without scales. Membr. branch. radiis sex. ‘Corpus nudum. » MEDITERRANEAN REMORA, _ Echeneis Remora. LE. fusca, striis capitis octodecim, cauda subs furcata, _ Brown Remora, with about eighteen bars on the shield, and ~ subfurcated tail. » Echeneis Remora. E. cauda bifurca, striis capitis 18. Tin, Syste Nat. p. 446. _ -Remora Imperati & ‘Aldtos andi. Will. p. 119. _ Echeneis pinna caudali semilunata. Bloch. pl. 172. B HE extraordinary faculty which this fish pos- _ sesses of adhering at pleasure with the utmost ’ i; enacity to any moderately flat surface, was not unobserved by the ancients, and is described in terms of considerable luxuriance by Pliny in particular, who, giving way to the popular pre- judices of his time, represents the Remora as 202 MEDITERRANEAN REMORA. | possessing the power of stopping a vessel in full sail, so as to render it perfectly immoveable in the midst of the sea. < Ventum est ad summa Nature, &c.” I shall give the translation in the words of Philemon Holland. « Having so far proceeded in the discourse of Nature’s historie, that I am now arrived at the very heigth of her forces, and come into a world — of examples, I cannot chuse but in the first place consider the power of her operations, and the infinitnesse of her secrets, which offer themselves before our eyes in the Sea: for in no part else of this universal frame is it possible to observe the like majestie of Nature: insomuch as we need not seeke any farther, nay we ought not to make more search into her divinitie, considering there cannot be found any thing equall or like unto this one Element, wherein she hath surmounted and gone beyond her own selfe in a wonderfull number of respects. For first and foremost, Is there any thing more violent than the Sea, and namely when it is troubled with blustring winds, whirlepufis, storms and tempests? or wherein hath the wit of man been more employed (seeke out all parts of the whole world) than in seconding - the waves and. billows of the Sea, by saile and - ore? Finally, is there ought more admirable than: the inenarrable force of the reciprocall tides of the Sea, ebbing and flowing as it doth, whereby it keepeth a current also, as it were the stream of some great river ? MEDITERRANEAN REMORA. 203’ “¢ The current of the sea is great, the tide much, the winds vehement and forcible, and more than that, ores and sailes withall to help forward the rest, are mightie and powerfull: and yet there is one little sillie fish, named Echeneis, that checketh, scorneth, and arresteth them all: let the winds blow as much as they will, rage the storms and _tempests what they can, yet this little fish com- maundeth their furie, restraineth their puissance, and maugre all their force as great as it is, compelleth ships to stand still: a thing which no cables be they never so big and able as they will, can performe. She bridleth the violence and . tameth the greatest rage of this universall world, and that without any paine that she putteth herselfe unto, without any holding and putting backe, or any other meanes save only by cleaving and sticking fast to a vessell: in such a sort as this one small and poore fish is sufficient to resist and withstand so great a power both of sea and navie, yea and to stop the passage of a ship, doe they all what they can possible to the contrarie. What should our fleets and armadoes at sea, make such turrets in their decks, and forecastles? what should they fortifie their ships in warlike manner, to fight from them upon the Sea, as it were from mure and rampier on firme land? See the vanitie of man! alas, how foolish are we to make all this adoe? When one little fish, not above half a foot long, is able to arrest and stay perforce, yea and hold as prisoners our goodly tall and proud ships, so well armed in the beake-head with yron pikes and brazen 204 MEDITERRANEAN REMORA, tines; so offensive and dangerous to beuge’ and pierce any enemie ship which they doe encountre; Certes, reported it is, that in the naval battaile before Actium, wherein Antonius and Cleopatra _ the queene were defeited by Augustus, one of these fishes staied the admirall ship wherein J/, Antonius was, at what time as he made all the hast and meanes he could devise with help of ores to encourage his people from ship to ship, and could not prevaile, untill he was forced to abandon the said admirall and goe into another galley. Meanwhile the armada of Augustus Ca- sar, seeing this disorder, charged with greater violence, and soone invested the fleete of Antonie: Of late daies also, and within our remembrance the like happened to the Roiall ship of the Em- perour Caius Caligula, at what time as he rowed backe, and made saile from Astura to Antium ; when and where this little fish detained his ship, and (as it fell out afterward) presaged an unfortu- nate event thereby: for this was the last time that ever this Emperour made his returne to Rome: and no sooner was he arrived, but his own soul- diours in a mutinie fell upon him and stabbed him to death. And yet it was not long ere the cause of this wonderfull staie of his ship was knowne: for so soon as ever the vessel (and a galliace it was, furnished with five bankes of ores to a side) was perceived alone in the fleete to stand still, presentlie a number of tall fellows leapt out of their ships into the sea, to search what the reason might be that it stirred not? MEDITERRANEAN REMORA. 905 and found one of these fishes sticking fast to the very helme: which being reported unto Caius Caligula, he fumed and fared as an Emperour, taking great indignation that so small a thing as it, should hold him back perforce, and check the strength of all his mariners, notwithstanding there were no fewer than foure hundred lustie men in his galley that laboured at the ore all that ever they could to the contrarie. But this prince (as it is for certain knowne) was most astonied at this, namely, that the fish sticking only to the ship, should hold it fast; and the same being brought into the ship and there laid, not worke the like effect. They who at that time and afterward saw the fish, report that it resembled for all the world a snaile of the greatest making: but as touching the form and. sundrie kinds thereof, many have written diversly, whose opinions I haye set downe in my treatise of living creatures belonging to the waters, and namely in the particular discourse of this fish: neither doe I doubt but all the sorte of fishes are able to doe as much: for this we are to beleeve, that Pour- cellans also. be of the’ same vertue, since it was well knowne by a notorious example, that one of them did the like by a ship sent from Periander to the cape of Gnidos: in regard whereof, the inhabitants of Gnidos doe honour and consecrat the said Porcellane within their temples of Venus. Some of our Latin writers do call the said fish that thus staieth a ist by the name of Re- mora,” | / 206 _ MEDITERRANEAN REMORA. t of occasionally attaching itself to any large swim- ming body, whether animate or inanimate, which it happens to encounter; adhering to ships, as well as whales, sharks, and many other of the larger fishes: it has even been observed by Com- merson, that. the Remora is so ill calculated for supporting a long and laborious course in the water, that when left to its own exertions, it generally swims on its back, and that in an un- steady and feeble manner. It is therefore ne- cessary that it should avail itself of the occasional assistance of some larger floating body. For this purpose the upper part of the head is wonderfully constituted; presenting a large, flat, oval shield -or area, traversed by numerous dissepiments or partitions, each of which is fringed at the edge by a row of very numerous perpendicular teeth or filaments, while the whole area or oval space | is strengthened by a longitudinal division or sep- tum. So strong is the power of adhesion which the fish by this apparatus is enabled to exert, that we are assured by Commerson, whose ob- servations on this subject are detailed by Cepede, that, on applying his thumb to the shield of a living Remora, it was affected not only with a strong stupor, but even with a kind of paralysis, which continued for a considerable time _ after withdrawing his hand. When attached, as is fre- _ quently the case, to the skin of a shark or other The real fact is, that the Remora, being a fish ef very weak powers of fin, takes the advantage | large fish, it quits not its hold when the former | : oor MEDITERRANEAN REMORA,- 207 ‘is drawn out of the water, but continues adhering after the death of the animal; nor is it easy for the strongest arm to effect its separation, unless it be pulled in a lateral direction, so as to force it to slide along the surface of the skin. When a great many of these fishes are thus ad- hering at once to the sides of a ship, they may in some degree retard its motion, by preventing its easy passage through the water, in the same manner as any other extraneous substances are known to do; nor can it be thought improbable that the adhesion of these fishes in considerable numbers to the side of a small canoe in the earlier — ages of mankind, may have operated still more powerfully, and not only have impeded its progress, but even have caused it to incline towards one side; and the tale once related, might have gradually grown into the exaggerated powers afterwards ascribed to the animal. | : A second reason of the Remora’s thus attaching itself to the larger fishes and to vessels is, that it may be in readiness to avail itself of the oc- casional remains of the prey of the former, or of the offals thrown out from the latter; being naturally voracious, and by no means delicate in its choice, and frequently followmg vessels in great numbers in order to obtain occasional sup- plies of food. The Remora also, especially in stormy weather, adheres to rocks, like the Lump- Fish and some others. The Remora is principally an inhabitant of the Mediterranean and Atlantic seas. Its general co- 208 MEDITERRANEAN REMORA, © lour is an uniform brown without any material difference of shade either on the upper or lower surface, It sometimes however varies in colour, and Commerson assures us that when a great number of these fishes are attached either to the side of a vessel or to a large fish, it is not very uncommon to see one or two which differ from the rest in being of a whitish colour. The skin’ is smooth and destitute of scales, but marked with numerous impressed points or pores: the mouth is large, and furnished with very nume- rous small teeth; and the lower jaw is rather longer than the upper: the eyes are small, with yellow irides: the lateral line commences above the pectoral fins, and from thence pretty suddenly descending, runs strait in the tail, which is of a slightly forked, or rather lunated form. The num- ber of transverse divisions on ‘the shield of this species varies from sixteen to twenty, but the most general number is eighteen. The fish grows to the length of about eighteen inches. . INDIAN REMORA: ®cheneis Neucrates. E. olivacea, subtus albida, striis capitis wiginti quatuor, cauda integra. Olive-green Remora, whitish beneath, with twenty-four até on the head, and ovate fail. . E. Neucrates. E. cauda integra, striis capitis 24. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 446. | | Iperuquiba et Piraqueba Brasiliensibus. Marcgr. bras. p. 180. Echeneis catida rotundata. Bloch. t. 171. Tuis species may be easily distinguished from the preceding by its more lengthened or slender shape, as well as by the different form of the tail, which is ovate instead of crescent-shaped. It also differs from the former in its colours; the upper parts of the body being olive-green, and the under parts whitish: the fins are yellowish brown, with dusky edges. In its habits it re- sembles the preceding species, but is. more fre- quently seen in the Indian and American seas than in those of Europe. The Count de Cepede informs us, from the manuscripts of Commerson, that it is also very common about the coasts of Mozatnbique, where it is sometimes made use of for the following very singular manner of catching turtles: A ring is fastened round the tail of the fish, in such a manner as to prevent its escape, and a long cord fastened to the ring: When thus prepared, the fish is carried in a vessel of sea- water, and when the boatmen observe a turtle sleeping, as is the frequent eustom of those ani« ¥.1V. P. Hy 14 ‘910 INDIAN REMORA. mals, on the surface of the water, they approach as near as possible without disturbing it; and then, throwing the Remora into the sea, and ‘giving it the proper length of. cord, it soon at- taches itself to the breast of the sleeping turtle, which is thus easily drawn to the boat by the fishermen. If we may depend on the accuracy of this description, it seems to give some degree of confirmation to a mode of fishing recorded by Aldrovandus and others, in which a fish of a very unusual form, and which seems to be not very dis- tinctly described, is said to be employed in a similar manner by the American Indians, and to be naturally furnished with a large pouch at its head, with which it seizes and draws up its prey. This species is said to arrive at a much larger size than the preceding; being found of the length of two or three feet, and even, according to a description quoted by Dr. Bloch, to that of seven feet. ‘The usual number of divisions on its shield is from twenty-two to twenty-four. aaa 211 LINEATED REMORA. * Echeneis Lineata. E. cauda cuneata, striis capitis decem, lineis albis utrinque duabus longitudinalibus. Menz. Lin. Trans. Mp. 287. pl. 17. fd . Remora with cuneated tail, ten streaks on the shield, and two longitudinal white lines on each side of the body. Tuts species is an inhabitant of the Pacific ocean, and is thus described by Mr. Archibald Menzies, in the first volume of the transactions of the Linnzan Society. “ The body of this fish is about five hens long, subulate, smooth, and of a dark brown co- lour, dotted all over with minute darker spots, and ornamented with two whitish longitudinal lines on each side, which begin at the eyes, and end in the tail; the under mandible is a little longer than the upper, and both are furnished with minute teeth: the clypeus on the top of the head has but ten transverse streaks, which is the chief distinction of this species.” In its general proportions this fish approaches - very near to the KE. Neucrates, but seems to be a truly distinct species; differmg not only in the white lines along the body, but much more re- markably, in the far smaller number of divisions on the shield, which, in a young specimen of the E. Neucrates, I have observed to be as nu- merous as in the more adyanced animal. The specimen described by Mr. Menzies was found adhering to a turtle. CORYPHA.NA. CORYPHENE. Generic Character. Caput maxime truneato-de- Head sloping suddenly clive. downwards. Membr. branch. radiis quin- Gul-membrane a hig Pinna dorsalis \ongitudine Dotsat fin the length of the dorsi. _ back. COMMON CORYPHENE, Coryphena Hippurus. C. wiridi-cerulea, sitio tis 2 daa radiis dorsalibus sexaginta, cauda furcata. Blue-green Coryphene, with orange-coloured spots, aan rays in the dorsal fin, and forked tail. Coryphena Hippurus. C. cauda bifida, radiis dorsalibus sexa- ginta, Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 446. Coryphena Hippurus. C. pinna ani radiis viginti quinque. Bloch. pl. 174. e Hippurus. Gesn. Rondel. Aldr. Will. &c. ‘Tue genus Coryphena is, in general, dis- tinguished by a peculiar splendor of appeara nce most of the species being of highly vivid and ele- gant colours. The common Coryphene (popularly known by the name of Dolphin) is an inhabitant of the mediterranean, Indian and Atlantic seas, where it often appears in large shoals, and is some- times observed to follow ships, devouring with _ SM SLOW OE I * GN GA d_AALO 5) j 32, == H) tll Hy H i =—S-Ss= — =e °FTNGHILMO) NOWMO) se SSS LIHIS: W702 GOMMON CORYPHENE.. 213 avidity any occasional articles of food which may happen to be thrown over-board: it will even swallow substances of a very different nature; and we are informed, on the authority of Plumier, that in the stomach of a Coryphene which he examined, were found four iron nails, one of which measured more than five inches, ‘The general length of the common Coryphene is about three feet; but it is often seen of four or even five feet in length: its colour is a bright and beautiful blue-green, accom- panied by golden gloss, gradually altering into a silvery cast as it approaches the abdomen: the upper parts are marked by pretty numerous round orange-coloured spots: the head is large, but short and compressed ; the lips strong, the mouth wide, and armed with four rows of small curved teeth ; the scales are of moderate size, and the whole body is of a compressed form: the fins are green with a tinge of yellow on the rays: the dorsal fin is continued throughout the whole length of the back. When taken out of the water, the beautiful combination of colours fades as the fish expires ; the lustre vanishing by degrees, with partial re- storations, till at length it becomes of a dull greyish or cinereous cast, without any remains of its former splendor. This gradual evanescence of colour in the dying Coryphene is contemplated by sailors with as much delight as the ancient Ro-- mans are said to have exhibited on viewing similar changes in the expiring Mullet, when brought to their tables before the feast began. The Coryphene is a fish of a very strong and 214 -BRASILIAN CORYPHENE. vigorous ature, swims with great rapidity, is extremely voracious, and is observed to be pers petually engaged in the pursuit of the smaller fishes: it is considered as one of the most cruel ‘persecutors of the flying-fish (Exocoetus), which, i order to avoid its pursuit, avails itself of its power of temporary flight, or rather of springing at once to a considerable distance over the surface of the water; in which action however: it is often observed to fall a prey to some of the larger gulls, who seize it during its passage. ‘The flesh of the © Coryphene is said to be excellent, and it is there- fore often taken both by the line and net. It is observed to frequent the shores in spring and autumn in order to deposit its spawn, and some- times approaches the mouths of the large rivers: the young are said to be of uncommonly quick erowth, as is proved from observations made on such as have been kept in reservors for any length of time. , BRASILIAN CORYPHENE. Coryphena Equiselis. C. viridi-aurea, cauda bifurca, radiis dorsalibus quinquaginta tribus. Golden-green Coryphene, with forked tail, and fifty- -three rays in the dorsal fin. Coryphzena Equiselis. C. cauda bifurca, radiis dorsalibus quin- quaginta tribus. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 447. Guaracapema. Marcgr. bras. p. 160. Tuis species is so nearly allied to the former that it has been sometimes considered rather as a variety i PLUMIER'S CORYPHENE. | 315 than truly distinct. It seems to have been first de- scribed by Marcgrave, who informs us that it is known to the Brasilians by the name of Guara- capema, that it grows to the leneth of six or seven feet, and is of a silvery green colour on the head and upper parts, variegated with numerous blue spots of different sizes, but all rather small than large, and that the belly is of a whitish colour. He adds that it is a very swift swimmer, and is con- sidered as an excellent fish for the table. PLUMIER’S CORYPHENE. Coryphena Plumieri. C. subfusca, lineis curvis ceruleis variata, sublus argenteu, cauda lunata. , Brownish Coryphene, variegated with curved blue lines ; beneati silvery, with crescent-shaped tail. Coryphena Plumieri. C. pinne analis radius quinquaginta quin- que. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1191. Bloch. pl. 175. Tuis elegant species takes its title from the cele- janie Father Plumier, who appears to have been its first describer. It is a native of the American seas, and in its general form is much allied to the common Coryphene, but the head is longer in proportion: the general colour of the fish is bright yellow, with a silvery cast on the abdomen; while the back is brown, variegated with pretty numerous and somewhat irregular blue streaks, forming so many transverse bars on that part of the animal: the fins are yellow, the tail crescent-shaped and 916 “BLUE CORYPHENE, edjeta with blue: the whole body is covered with moderately large scales, none being visible on the head. The specimen figured in the manuscripts of 'Plomier measured about eighteen inches in length, but the fish probably grows to a much larger size. . BLUE CORYPHENE, Coryphena Cerulea. C, tota cerulea, squamis magnis, cauda lunata. Blue Coryphene, with large scales, and crescent-shaped tail. Coryphena cerulea. C. tota coerulea. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. 1191. Bloch. pl. 148. N ovacula cerulea. Catesb. car. 2. pl. 18, Tuis is a native of the American seas, and is easily distinguished from most, other species by its uniform blue colour, as well as by its great. depth or breadth of body and the superior size of its scales: the head is very large, but short, and is covered with smaller scales than those of the body: It is found of the length of eighteen inches or two feet, and may probably grow to a much larger size. In its manner of living it resembles the rest of the genus, It appears to have’ been first de- scribed aud figured by Plumier, in whose manu- scripts occurred the representation given by Dr. Bloch, and repeated in the present work. It is also tolerably well represented by Bann in his i Natural History of Carolina. V7 RAZOR CORYPHENE. Coryphena Novacula. C. rufo-flavescens, capite peg anali lineis ceeruleis cancellatis. Reddish yellow Coryphene, with the head and vent-fin can- cellated with blue lines. Novacula piscis Rondeletii. Wil. p. 214. t. O. 2. Pesce Pettina. Salv. - Tuts, according to Salvian, its most accurate de- scriber, is a small species, scarcely exceeding a palm in length: the head is very large and com- pressed, as is the whole body, rising into. an edge both above and. below: the mouth is rather small, and furnished with small and very sharp teeth, and with four larger ones in front: the eyes are’small, and situated on the upper part of the head: the dorsal fin, which is of moderate breadth, com- mences from the back of the head, and is continued nearly to the tail: the vent is placed nearer the head than the tail, and from it is continued the vent fin, which terminates, like the dorsal, at a small distance from the base of the tail: the tail itself is broad, and nearly even at the end: the head, jaws, and gill-covers, are marked by numer- © ous blue lines; while the anal fin and tail are beautifully variegated by a kind of cancellated alter- nation of green and yellowish lines: the dorsal fin js red, and marked with a few scattered blue spots: the rest of the animal is of a reddish yellow colour, and in habit resembles the C. Czerulea, bemg very | deep in proportion to its length. It is‘a native of 918 FIVE-SPOTTED CORYPHENE. the Mediterranean, where it chiefly frequents the shores, feeding on the smaller fishes and sea-insects, and is numbered among the superior kinds of edible fish. - } ee a FIVE-SPOTTED CORYPHENE. Coryphena Quinque-maculata. C. subfusca, subtus argentea, maculis utrinque versus caput quinis nigris. Brownish Coryphene, silvery beneath, with five black spots on each side towards the head. , Coryphzena pentadactyla. - C. maculs nigris quinis versus caput fongitudinalibus. Lan. Syst. Nat. p. 447. Bloch, pl. 173. Tue five-spotted Coryphene is a native of the Indian seas, and is of similar habit with the pre- ceding, having a large abrupt head, and being very deep in proportion to its length, as well as greatly compressed on the sides: the mouth is ‘of moderate width, and each jaw is furnished with a row of sharp teeth, with two larger ones in front: both head and body are covered with middle-sized scales, and a small distance beyond the eyes, on each side, are five black round and slightly ocellated spots in a longitudinal direction. The usual length of this species is about twelve inches, It is of a gregarious nature, and is said to assemble in such vast shoals about the Molucca islands, that it furnishes a branch of commerce among those people almost as important as that of the adtenes y among the Europeans. ice 219 GILT-TAIL CORYPHENE. Coryphena Chrysurus. C. aurea, corpore maculis parvis ceruleis variato. Gold-yellow Coryphene, with the body besprinkled with small blue spots. | - Le Coryphene Chrysure. Cepede. 3. p. 186. OzsErvep by Commerson in the equatorial parts of the Pacific, and described, from his manuscripts, by Cepede. Greatly allied in general appearance to the common Coryphene, but is of a more com- pressed and lengthened form, and differs in the number and disposition of the teeth, which are very small, short, and sharp, and stand separate from each other: the mouth also is much less wide: the general or ground colour of the animal is bright gold, the tail exceeding the other parts in brilli- ancy: on the throat and breast is a gloss of silver, and on the back are a few blueish clouds: the fins are tinged with blue, and the whole body is sprinkled over with lenticular bright blue spots. In its man- ners this elegant species resembles the common Coryphene, and is of equal excellence as an article of food. = ~ 220 STRIPED CORYPHENE; © - Coryphena Pompilus. C. dorso supra lineam curvam fascidlis _ faavescentibus picto, Lin. Syst, Nat. p. 447. x ‘Coryphene with the body marked by transverse yellowish stripes over the curved lateral line. _ Coryphena cauda zquali, linea laterali curva. <Artedi gen. 16. SYN. Wo , _ Tuis species is thicker and shorter in proportion than the common Coryphene, with a smaller head and wider mouth: the lower mandible is longer than the upper, and the sides of the head are marked by several small cavities or impressed spots: the. lateral line is curved; the pectoral fins. very sharp- pointed, and the tail but slightly lunated: over each eye is a gold-coloured spot, and the sides of the body are marked by numerous transverse narrow bands of a similar hue. Native of the Mediter- ranean and Atlantic seas, where it is said oc- casionally to accompany vessels in the manner of the common Coryphene. 221 PARROT CORYPHENE. _ Coryphena Psittacus. C. capite vepeeato, corpore macula versie colori rhombea. - Coryphene with variegated head, and body marked by a _ variously coloured rhomboid spot. Coryphena Psittacus. C. linea laterali wtercepta, pinnis a tudinalibus. colore lineatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 448. Ozsrrvep by Dr. Garden in the American seas; head beautifully variegated: irides flame-colour edged with blue: on the middle of the body towards the back a rhomboid purple spot, accompanied by green, yellow, and blue variegations: vent in the middle of the body: dorsal and anal fin linear ; the former commencing from the head and reach- ing, like the vent fin, to the tail, which is even at the end: the beautiful colours of this species, like those of the common Coryphene, are observed to vanish as the fish expires. MACKREL CORYPHENE. Coryhpzna Scomberoides. C. argentea, dorso subceruleo, pinna dorsalt analique versus caudam sinuatis. _ Silvery Coryphene, with blueish back, and the dorsal and anat fin sinuated towards the tail. Le Coryphene scomberoide. Cepede 3. p. 192. * Descripep by Cepede from the manuscripts of Commerson, who observed it in the South seas. Size between that of a Mackrel and a Herring: 999 MACKREL CORYPHENE. colour bright silver, tinged with brownish blue off the back, and with a deeper cast of the same on the top of the head, where it is accompanied by a gilded tinge: all the fins ate entirely brown except the ventral, which are white on the exterior sides, while the pectoral are slightly gilt: the lower jaw is longer than the upper, and both are beset with such a number of small teeth in a reversed direction, that the fish may be suspended by intro- ducing the tip of the finger into the mouth ; the. tongue is large, and shaped somewhat like the human nail; and on its middle is a squarish rough bone: the gill-covers consist of two large, smooth, and rounded laminz: the lateral line is marked by several undulations, which decrease as they ap- proach the tail: the ventral fins are united at their base by a membrane communicating with a longi- tudinal furrow beneath the belly, and in which the animal can at pleasure conceal them: they consist each of five or six rays: the dorsal fin reaches from the back of the head to the tail, and is scalloped towards that part, so as to bear a resemblance to the small or spurious fins in the Mackrel tribe: the vent fin is of similar structure : the lower part of the tail is bounded by a sharp carina. Vast multi- tudes of these fishes were observed by Commerson to follow the French ships for many days together : they appeared to prey chiefly on young flying- fishes, which at intervals sprang around the ships like so many butterflies, which they scarcely sur- passed in size. ie 993 UNDULATED CORYPHENE. Coryphena Fasciolata. C. lacteo-argentea, circulis transversis fuscis a fasciis pinne dorsalis super latera defluentibus. Silvery-white Coryphene, with transverse brown circles de- scending on the body from the bands of the dorsal fin. Coryphzena fasciolata. C. lacteo-argentea, circulis. transversis fuscis a fasciis pinne dorsalis defluentibus, in dorso passim coherentibus, in ventre evanidis. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p, 1193. Pall, sp. zool. 8. Descrisep by Dr. Pallas: length about two inches: colour silvery white, with several transverse brown circular marks descending on each side the ‘body from the back fin, and gradually losing them- ‘selves in the whiteness of the sides: head conical, flat above: eyes large: irides gold-coloured: mouth wide: tongue flat, round, and smooth: opening of the gill-covers very large: gill-covers consistmg of two rounded laminz: lateral line strait : pectoral _ and ventral fins hyaline; dorsal and anal variegated by dusky bands: tail deeply forked, and marked by a dusky crescent. Native of the seas about Amboina. Perhaps not arrived at its full size. In the dorsal fin are fifty-four rays. | 224, - SAILING CORYPHENE. > - Coryphzna Velifera. C. ex cinereo-argented, pinna dorsali & anali: maximis, ventralibus minimis. Lin. Hohe Nat. leh _p. 1193. Pall. sp. zool. §. Silvery-grey Coryphene, with the dorsal and anal fin very large, and the ventral fins very small. : _ A smatn species, described by Dr. Pallas, Nas tive of the Indian seas: colour silvery grey ; body gradually tapering to the tail, and covered. by eleven longitudinal rows of rather large, thin, slightly striated scales, each of which is marked at the ‘base by a small recumbent spine, and is emar- ginated at the tip: dorsal and anal fins very large; ventral very small: in the dorsal fin are fifty-five rays. LINEATED CORYPHENE. Coryphzena Lineata. C. capite picto lineis transversis coloratis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1195. Coryphene with the head vatiegated with transverse, le ty stripes. : Native of the American seas, observed by Dr. Garden: size not mentioned: head naked, com- pressed: two sharp front teeth longer than the rest in both jaws: head, dorsal and anal fin marked by coloured streaks: tail rounded : body covered with large scales. JAPANESE CORYPHENE. ' Coryphena Japonica. C. lutea, branchiarum apertura rima transversa, Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1194. Houtuyn act. Haarl. 20. p. 315. Deep-yellow Coryphene, with the branchial aperture trans- verse. Lenetu about six inches: colour deep yellow, scales moderately small and tender: described by Houttuyn in the Haarlem Transactions. Native of the Japanese seas, The dorsal fin has twenty- four rays. GREENISH CORYPHENE. Coryphena Virens. C. virens, pinnis appendiculis filiformibus. Greenish Coryphene with filiform appendages to the fins. Coryphena virens. C. pinnis appendiculis filiformibus. Lim, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1194. GENERAL colour greenish: dorsal and anal fin terminated by a lengthened filiform process: native of the Indian seas: the dorsal fin has twenty-six rays. | os iv. PH. 1a s s a CHINESE CORYPHENE. _Coryphena Sinensis. C. viridi-argentea, ponnaanali brevissima. Silyvery-green Coryphene, with very short vent fin. Le Coryphene Chinois. Cepede 3. p. 209. Tuts is described by the Count de Cepede merely on the authority of a Chinese drawing, and is said to be of a green colour, more or less deep on differ- ent parts of the body, and accompanied here and there by a gloss of silver: the dorsal fin is very Jong, but the vent fin very short ; and the tail is of a rounded shape: the body, gill-covers, and tail, are covered with large scales: the lower jaw is longer than the upper, and turns upward in a slight degree. The volume of Chinese drawings from whence this species is described made a part of the collec- tion of the Prince of Orange, lately ceded to France, and at present in the national museum. PLAT-SNOUTED CORY PHENE. Coryphena Sima. C. cauda integra, labio inferiore longiore. Tin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1194. Coryphene with the lower lip longer than the upper, and eyen tail. ; : | SizE uncertain: native of the Indian seas: in the dorsal fin are thirty-two rays. “ei, ii a 227 SHARP-TAILED CORYPHENE. Coryphena Acuta. C. cauda acuminata, linea laterali convexa, Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1194. Coryphene with sharp-pointed tail, and convex lateral line. SizE uncertain: fhative of the Indian seas. In the dorsal fin are forty-five rays. HALF-FINNED CORYPHENE. Coryphena Hemiptera. C. mazillis subequalibus, pinna dorsali brevi, Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1194. Coryphene with nearly equal jaws, and short dorsal fin. AN uncertain species ; native of the Indian seas, The dorsal fin has but fourteen rays. BRANCHIOSTEGOUS CORYPHENE. Coryphena Branchiostega. C. apertura branchiarum transversa. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1194. Coryphene with the branchial aperture transverse. A.ueD to the C. Japonica. Native of the Indian seas. In the dorsal fin are twenty-four rays. CLYPEATED CORYPHENE. Coryphena Clypeata. C. lamina ossea inter oculos. Tan, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1195. , : . Coryphene with a bony plate between the eyes. Tuts species, which seems at present but ob- scurely known, is said to be distinguished by a long bony process or lamina situated between the eyes, and is a native of the Indian seas: the dorsal fin has thirty-two rays; the pectoral fourteen ; the ventral five; the anal twelve, and the caudal seven. i ° LAS NOWWAY] GAa&TIVL-SNO'T SY NS i ~—s WY RS ww C\ DSSS “ WEEE \ \ iam \ eee : € NASS38s lh = re MACROURUS. IMMINSET. Generic Character. Caput grande: oculi magni. || Head large: eyes large. _ Corpus postice attenuatum || Body at the hind part at- ~ In caudam, tenuated into the tail. LONG-TAILED IMMINSET. . Macrourus Rupestris. MM. argentco-cinereus, squamis carinatis, pinne dorsalis prioris radio primo retro-dentato. ‘Silvery-grey Imminset, with carinated scales, and the first ray of the first dorsal fin toothed at the back, Macrourus ruspestris. Bloch. pl. 177. Coryphena rupestris. C. dorso dipterygio, pinne dorsalis prime radio primo retro-dentato. Inn. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 195. Mull. prodr. zool. Dan. p. 43. Tu E head of this remarkable fish is large and thick; the upper jaw projecting above into the form of an obtuse snout : the eyes are very large : the mouth wide, with five rows of small, curved teeth in the upper jaw, and two rows in the lower :’ the tongue white, thick, short, and cartilaginous : beneath the tip of the lower jaw hangs a beard or Cirrus: the body gradually tapers from the middle part, and at length is continued into a very long, slender, and pointed tail: the whole fish is covered with moderately large, rounded scales, each of 930 LONG-TAILED IMMINSET. which is furnished in the middle with a strong, toothed carina, ending in a pointed tip: this causes a remarkable roughness of surface; so that the hand is wounded by drawing it over the fish from the tail towards the head: the carinz of the scales are much stronger on the head than on other parts: the first dorsal fin is situated near the middle of the back, and is furnished with nine or ten rays, of which the first is very strong, and serrated on the back: the second dorsal fin, which is shallow, commences at a small distance from the first, and running to the tip of the tail, is united with the vent fin, which is in a similar manner continued from the tip of the tail to the vent, near the middle of the body : the pectoral fins are rather small and sharp-pointed: and the ventral are of similar form: the lateral line, which is nearer to the baek than to the abdomen, commences at the upper part of the gill-covers, and is from thence continued to the tail: the colour of this fish is a silvery grey, deepest on the upper parts: its usual length is about three feet, but it is occasionally seen of larger size: it is a native of the northern seas, and is mostly seen about the coasts of Greenland and Iceland, and is numbered among the edible fishes of the Green- landers. It is said to swim very swiftly, and when first taken, to struggle with great violence; en- deavouring to defend itself by lashing with its tail; its large eyes projecting at the same time to a surprising dégree. It is known in some: places by the name of Berg-lax, or Mountain Salmon, and — LONG-TAILLED IMMINSET. 951 among the Greenlanders is called Ingminniset*. It was first described by Egede in his natural history of Greenland in the year 1741, and has by some natu- ralists been considered as a species of Coryphene. | * It is from this word, with a slight alteration in the spelling, that the English generic name has been taken. GOBIUS. GOBY. Generic Character. Caput parvum: Oculi ap- || Head small: Eyes approxi- proximati. mated. Membrana branch. radiis || Gill-Membrane four-rayed. quatuor. Pinne ventrales unite in || Ventral fins united into the . cavam. | form of a funnel. COMMON GOBY. Gobius Niger. G. albido nigroque varius, pinna dorsal secunda radiis quatuordecim. Goby with black and whitish vee and ahoiak fourteen rays on the second dorsal fin. Gobius niger. G. pinna dorsali secunda radiis quatuordecim. Tin. Syst. Nat. p. 449. Gobius ex albo & fusco varius, pinne dorsi secunde radiis sedecim. Bloch. pl. 38. Black Goby. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. , es IS species grows to the length of six inches: the body is soft, slippery, and of a slender form : the head rather large: the cheeks inflated: the teeth small, and disposed in two rows: from the head to the first dorsal fin is a small furrow: the first dorsal fin consists of six rays: the second according to Linnzeus, of fourteen, and according to Dr. Bloch, of sixteen: the pectoral of sixteen or seventeen, — By BY. LANCE-TATLED GO iy = ite lier ~ 4 SD ST i Fi ¥in, ey OBY . G COMMON ev hearvley LCCCE St7 eee . ~ me 7808 July i1.London Publi{had by ¢ / \ 1 iL > i ‘ 4 a a ae v LANCE-TAILED GOBY. 933 closely set together, and the middlemost the longest: the others on each side gradually shorter: the ventral fins coalesce, and form a sort of funnel, by which these fish are said to affix themselves im: moveably to the rocks ; for which reason they are called by the name of Rock-Lish; the tail is rounded at the end: the general colour of the fish is dusky or blackish ; but this, on close mspection, is owing to numerous small dusky or blackish specks, ac- companied by brown or olive coloured bars and clouds disposed on a whitish ground: the dorsal and anal fins are of a pale blue; the rays marked with minute black spots. ‘This fish is a native of the mediterranean and northern seas, and some- times enters the mouths of the larger rivers, par- ticularly in the beginning of summier, at which season it deposits its spawn on stones near the shores. It is in the number of edible fish, buf is m no particular estimation. LANCE-TAILED GOBY. Gobius Lanceolatus. G. fusco-flavescens, squamis versus caudan majoribus, cauda elongato-acuminata, Yellowish brown Goby, with the scales increasing in size towards the tail, which is large, elongated, and sharp-pointed. Gobius lanceolatus. G. cauda longissima acuminata. Bloch. t.38.f.1. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1203. | Tuis species is distinguished by the peculiar form of its tail, which is large in proportion to the animal, and sharp pointed at the tip: the body: is 934, BOSCIAN GOBY. of a lengthened shape, and nearly of equal diameter throughout : the head is oblong, and truncated in front ; the jaws of equal length, and armed with sharp teeth: the guill-covers consist of two small Jaminze, and the opening of the gills is large: the vent is situated much nearer the head than the tail: the body is covered with scales, of which those toward the tail are much larger than those on the upper parts, This is a West-Indian species, it is found in the rivers of Martinique and some other islands. BOSCIAN GOBY. Gobius Boscii. G. cinereus, fusco-punctatus, fascits septem transversis albidis. | Grey Goby, speckled with brown, and marked by seven whitish transverse bands. | Le Gobie Bose. Cepede 2. p. 556. pl. 16. f. 1.. Native of the American seas, and observed by Bosc in the bay of Charles-Town. Head broader than the body: both jaws of equal length: teeth very small: eyes prominent: nostrils elevated : gill-covers terminating acutely: four first rays of the first dorsal fin prolonged into a small filament : body without scales: general colour grey, spotted with brown, and marked by seven irregular trans- verse whitish or pale bands, fins brown: length fifty-four millimetres ; breadth thirteen. Described by Cepede from the communications of Mr. Bosc. BLUE GOBY. Gobius Ceruleus. G. ceruleus, cauda rubra nigro marginata. Blue Goby, with red tail bordered with black. — Le Gobie bleu. Cepede 2. p. 500. DescrisED by Cepede from Commerson. A highly beautiful, though very small species: colour fine blue, rather paler beneath: tail red, with a black border: length about a decimetre : mouth obtuse; teeth in the lower jaw sharp, and rather longer than those of the upper: eyes rather more distant than in others of the genus: body covered with small rough scales: first dorsal fin triangular, with the rays terminating in lengthened filaments : second dorsal terminated by a ray of twice the length of the rest: vent placed nearly in the middle of the body: tail rounded. Inhabits the seas about the eastern coasts of Africa, where it is used by the negroes as a bait for other fish. From the brilliancy of its colours it appears, when swimming in a calm sea, during a bright sunshine, like a small tube of sapphire, tipped with carbuicle. | 230 BROUSSONET’S GOBY. -Gobius Broussoncetii. . G. cor pore elongato, compress0, pinna dorsali unica, cauda lanceolata, Goby with elongated and compressed body, winigfl dorsal fin ‘ and lanceolate tail. ' Le Gobioide Broussonet. Cepede 2. p. 580; pl. 17. f. 1s Descrizep by Cepede from a specimen in the Stadtholder’s Museum. Body very long, much com- pressed, and covered with a skin so transparent as to admit a view of the disposition of the muscles : jaws furnished with very small teeth: ventral fins rather long, and by their union forming a deep funnel: dorsal fin smgle: pectoral fins small and rounded: dorsal and anal pretty wide, and reaching as far as the tail, which is of a lanceolate shape : rays of the dorsal and anal fins project beyond the membrane. Native of the African seas. | SPOTTED GOBY. Gobius Minutus. G. albidus, ferrugineo sah > oculis ceruleis. Whitish Goby with ferruginous spots and blue eyes. Gobius minutus. G. albicans, ferrugineo maculatus, radtis dor- salibus 3; caudalibus ferrugineo obsolete striatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1199. Pall. spic. zool. 8. p. 4. Tuis species is a native of the European seas, and, according to Mr. Pennant, frequents the sandy shores of our own island during the summer months: BLUE-FINNED GOBY. 237 its length is about three inches: the head flat; the eyes large, and very prominent ; with blue irides : the tongue large; and both jaws are furnished with teeth: the first dorsal fin consists of six rays: the second of eleven, and is placed at some distance from the other: the vent fin has eleven rays; the tail is even at the end; the body is of a whitish colour, obscurely spotted with ferruginous, and the rays of the dorsal fins and tail are barred with the same colour. BLUE-FINNED GOBY. Gobius Jozo. G. fuscus, subtus albidus, pinnis subceruleis, radius dorsalibus eminentibus setaceis. Brown Goby, whitish beneath, with blueish fins, and project- ing setaceous dorsal rays. Gobius Jozo. G. radiis dorsalibus eminentibus setaceis, Len. Syst. Nat. p. 450. Bloch. t, 107. f. 3. Tus species grows to the length of four or six inches, and is principally distinguished by the blue colour of its fins, and the streaks on the first dorsal fin: the jaws are of equal length, and armed with small, sharp teeth: the lateral line runs in a strait direction along the middle of the body. It is a native of the Mediterranean and the Baltic, and commonly frequents the muddy shores, living on sea-insects, &c. It deposits its spawn on the soft mud; and though very prolific, is not observed to 238 BODDERTIAN GOBY. be very numerous ; owing to tie small fry becom- ing the prey of other fishes: as a food it is held in little or no esteem. BODDERTIAN GOBY. Gobius Boddaerti. G. fusco-ceruleus, subtus gilous, lateribus fusco maculatis. Blueish-brown Goby, buff-coloured beneath, with the sides of the body spotted with brown. Gobius Boddaerti, G. pinne dorsalis anterioris radiis cirri- formibus, tertio longissimo. Lan, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1201. Pall, spic. zool. 8. p. 11. t.2. f. 4. 5. Native of the Indian seas: length about five or six inches: colour blueish brown above, and reddish white beneath: head varied. with brown and white: lips thick and fleshy: body covered with small scales, and marked above by seven brown spots in a longitudinal direction ; beneath. which are seven other spots of the same colour but speckled with white: vent surrounded by a black ring, and terminated by a. fleshy protuberance: lateral line marked with minute papillae and snow- white spots: first dorsal fin blackish blue speckled with white, and furnished with long projecting filaments: second dorsal fin traversed. by five or six white lines: tail blueish white. 239 HARE-LIPPED GOBY. Gobius Lagocephalus, G. fuscus, labiis emarginatis, superiore crassissimo. i Brown Goby, with emarginated lips, the upper one very thick. Gobius lagocephalus. G. marilla superiore hemispharica, lingua lineaque laterali nulla. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1202. Pail. spic, zool, §. p. 14. t. 2. f. 6.7. Descrizep by Kolreuter in the Petersburgh Transactions. Body round, compressed towards the tail: size of a finger: colour grey or dark brown: covered with minute scales: head short, thick, with- out scales: mouth transverse ; upper jaw very thick; lower with a few larger teeth, which are slightly hooked : lips cleft in the middle, doubled, the upper fleshy and very thick, reaching much beyond the jaw; palate with numerous crowded small teeth on the margin: eyes distant, small, covered with the common skin: rays of the first dorsal fin simple, of the other and the tail branched: tail oval-rounded: pectoral Janceolate-oval: ventral with very short crowded rays: vent in the middle of the body. | 240 -PAGANEL GOBY. Gobius Paganellus. G. subflavescens, fusco punctatus, pina dorsali secunda basi subpurpurea, margine lutea. _ Yellowish Goby, speckled with brown, with the second dorsal fin purplish at the base and yellow at the margin. Gobius Paganellus. G. pinna caudali dorsalique secunda bast purpurascente, priori linea lutea _terminali, Lin. Syst. Nat. pP- 440. i Lexetu from three, or four, to six inches: body rather compressed ; general colour white, more or less tinged with yellow, and sometimes with a cast of green: body marked with small blackish spots : first dorsal fin edged with bright yellow: the second dorsal and the anal tinged with purple at the base: tail nearly strait. Native of the Medi- terranean, frequenting rocky coasts, RED-FRONTED GOBY. Gobius Cruentatus. G. albidus, fasciis transversis fuscis, capite pumisque rubro maculatis. ; Whitish Goby, with transverse brown bands; the head and fins spotted with red. Gobius cruentatus. G. ore rubro-pustulato, pinnarum dorsalium radiis ultra membranam prominentibus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel, p. 1197. Native of the Mediterranean; much allied to the G. Paganellus, but the rays of the dorsal fins project beyond the membrane: mouth, .gill-covers, OTAHEITEE GOBY. QA] throat, and most of the fins spotted with red: gene- ral colour dull white, with a few transverse brown bands: ventral fins blueish: tail rounded, and marked with obscure blackish bands. ‘This species has been sometimes regarded as a variety of the G. Jozo. OTAHEITEE GOBY. Gobius Ocellaris. G. olivaceus, subtus glaucus, pinna dorsali priore ocello nigro prope basin notata. Olivaceous Goby, glaucous beneath, with the first dorsal fin marked towards the base by a black ocellate spot. Gobius Ocellaris. G. maxilla supertore longiore, pinnae dorsali prima ocellata sexradiata. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1201. Brouss, ichth. dec. 1. t. 2. Native of the rivulets of Otaheitee. Body com- pressed lanceolate, covered on the hind part with imbrieate ciliate scales, obscurely clouded with olive and black, beneath glaucous. Head a little compressed, subconic, blackish, slightly curved above, obtusely carinate jn the middle, beneath strait, flat ; eyes looking obliquely upwards, pupil black, iris glaucous ; teeth unequal, minute, those of the lower jaw less: lateral line nearly in the middle, strait, obscure; vent placed a little behind: fins generally with divided rays, the connecting membrane diaphanous: pectoral and ventral fins blackish ; first dorsal short, with olive and brown undulations, and simple rays, setaceous and re- curved at their tips: second dorsal fin long, greenish, AV. P. II. 16 IAI, ARABIAN GOBY. tinged with dull red at the tip; the rays annulated. with greenish and brown; the first ray simple: anal fin long, greenish-brown, with transparent tip: tail oval, greenish, with simple rays. ARABIAN GOBY. Gobius Arabicus. G. olivaceus, maculis confluentibus violaceis punctisyue ceruleis variatus, radiis dorsalibus quingue elongatis. Olivaceous Goby, variegated with confluent violet spots and blue specks, with five of the dorsal rays elongated. Gobius Arabicus. G. pinne dorsalis prime radius quinque posterioribus filo rubro terminatis membrana cuplo longioribus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1198, Forsk. arab. p. 23. A sMALL species, about the size of the little finger, and of a greenish brown colour, variegated with numerous violet-coloured spots and blue specks ; the violet spots becoming confluent on some parts; the skin is very soft, and covered with extremely small, close-set scales: all the fins are spotted, and the tail is of a cuneated shape. Observed by Forskal in the Arabian seas. 943° BLACK GOBY. Gobius Ater. G. ater, squamis parvis carinatis, genis promi- nentibus. Deep-Black Goby, with small carinated scales, and prominent cheeks. Le Gobie noir. Cepede. 2. p. 568. Descrisep by Cepede from Commerson: length ‘two or three inches: colour deep black with a blueish or greenish cast: scales very small, cari- nated: head swelling out on each side: upper lip longer than the lower: teeth small: tongue short and fixed: eyes much approximated: on each side the branchial aperture is a tubercle, and at the vent a small process. Native of the Indian seas ; often entering the mouths of small rivers, parti- cularly where there is a muddy bottom: consider- ably esteemed as a food, and used by convalescents. BLACK-FINNED GOBY. Gobius Bicolor. G. fuscus, pinnis omnibus mgris. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1197. Brinn. pisc. mass. p. 30. Brown Goby, with all the fins black. Native of the Mediterranean: habit of G. Paga- nellus: length three inches; rays of the fins project in a small degree beyond the connecting mem- brane. 244, CLOUDED GOBY. Gobius Nebulosus. G. albidus, maculis confluentibus fuscis, squamis magnis rhombeis. | Whitish Goby, variegated with confluent brown spots, and covered with large rhomboid scales. Gobius nebulosus. G. pinnae dorsalis prime radio secundo filo membrana duplo longiore nigro terminato. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1198. Forsk. arab. p. 24. Oszservep by Forskal in the Arabian sea. Length three inches: colour whitish, variegated with con- fluent brown spots: beneath plain: scales large, rhomboid, and rough: pupils of the eyes blueish, irides white: pectoral fins glaucous, variegated at the base by obscure brown spots: ventral fins brownish: dorsal and caudal hyaline, spotted with brown: anal hyaline bordered with brown. . CHINESE GOBY. Gobius Eleotris. G. albidus, squamis magnis levibus, macula prope opercula magna violacea. Whitish Goby, with large smooth scales, and a large violet spot near the gill-covers. ; Gobius Eleotris. G. pinna anali radiis novem. Lin. Syst. Nat. — p. 449. , Gubius Chinensis. Osb. it. p. 260. Native of China: colour whitish, and covered with large, round, smooth scales: on the back, near the gill-covers, is a large violet-coloured spot : both the dorsal fins are of equal height, and the tail is rounded, 245 PLUMIER’S GOBY. Gobius Plumieri. G. fusco-flavescens, subtus albidus, mavilla superiore prominente. . Yellowish-brown Goby, whitish beneath, with thick, project- ing upper lip. Gobius Plumieri. G. maxilla superiore prominente. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p..1203. Bloch. t. 178. Native of the American seas: described by Plumier : length three or four inches: habit plump or fleshy : colour yellowish brown above, yellow on the sides, and white beneath: body covered with small scales: upper lip obtuse and longer than the lower: rays of the first dorsal fin project beyond the membrane: pectoral fins rather large: tail rounded: considerably esteemed as an article of food. . | PECTINATED GOBY, Gobius Pectinirostris. G. dentibus mazille inferioris horizon- talibus. Lan. Syst. Nat. p. 451. Goby with the teeth of the lower jaw horizontal. _ Apocryptes Chinensis. Osb. it. p. 130. Native of China: size rather small: particularly distinguished by the position of its teeth in the lower jaw, which project horizontally in such a manner as to represent a small semicircular comb: in the first dorsal fin are five rays, in the second twenty-six, in the pectoral fins nineteen, in the ventral ten, in the anal twenty-six, and in the tail fifteen. SCHLOSSERIAN GOBY. Gobius Schlosseri. G. nigricans, subtus albidus, capite magne, corpore squamis magnis, coriaceis, rotundatis. iia Blackish Goby, whitish beneath, with large head, and body covered with large, rounded, coriaceous scales. — Gobius Schlosseri. G. ex fusco nigricans, subtus exalbidus, pinne dorsalis prime radiis spinosis. Ling Syst. Nat. Gmel. p- 1201. Pall. sp. zool. 8. Tuis species is a native of the island of Amboina, inhabiting fresh waters, and generally residing on the soft mud, in which it conceals itself on the approach of danger: it is about a span in length, of a somewhat compressed form, and tapering but very slightly towards the tail: the head is longish, and much broader than the body; the eyes pro- tuberant, and placed in front of the head: the body is covered with moderately large, coriaceous, rounded scales, and is of a dusky colour above, and whitish beneath: the pectoral fins are attached, on each side the base, to a kind of fleshy arm or foot- stalk. According to Cepede the Gobius barbarus of Linneus is in reality no other than the above species: it is thus distinguished in the Systema Nature. G. pinnis pectoralibus flabello insistentibus, pinna dersali priore radiis 12, posteriore 13. Qa EEL GOBY. Gobius Anguillaris. G. elongatus fuscus, pinnis rubris, dorsali unica. Elongated brown Goby, with red fins ; the dorsal single. Gobius anguillaris. G. pinna dorsali unica, cauda rubra. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1201. Tuis species differs from the generality of the Gobies by its more elongated form, approaching in some degree to that of an eel: the dorsal fin is single, and reaches nearly to the tail, the vent. fin being equally extended in the opposite direction : the pectoral fins are very small and rounded: the - skin of the body is smooth and slippery; the colour pale brown, and all the fins red. Native of the _Chinese coasts. The dorsal fin has fifty-two rays, the pectoral fins twelve, the ventral ten, the anal forty-three, and the tail twelve. CARP GOBY. Gobius Cyprinoides. G. cinereus, corpore cyprinaceo, squamis magnis subciliatis. Grey Goby with carp-shaped body, and large subciliated scales, Gobius cyprinoides. G. squamis magnis subciliatis vestitus, pinna caude rotundata : radiis membrana fusco-tessellata nexis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel, p. 1202. Pall. sp. zool. 8. t..1. f. 5. Native of Amboina: length about three inches and a half: habit resembling that of the Carp tribe rather than that of the Gobies: colour grey-brown, 248 - BLACK-TAILED GOBY. whitish beneath: scales large, and slightly ciliated at the edges: head rather broader than the body, and covered by a soft skin, crossed with very fine lines: teeth small: eyes lateral; between them a blackish, triangular, longitudinal crest, resembling a fin in miniature: behind the vent is a tubular process imbedded in a small channel. ; NILOTIC GOBY. Gobius Aphya. G. albidus, migro-punctatus, fascis pinnarun Suscis. Whitish Goby speckled with black; the fins barred with brown. Gobius Aphya. G. fasciis etiam pinnarum fuscis. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 450. A very small species, found in the Nile, and in some parts of the Mediterranean sea: Jength scarce more than an inch: colour whitish varied by a few small black) spots: dorsal and anal fin marked by brown bands: eyes very small: the second dorsal fin has seventeen rays. : BLACK-TAILED GOBY. Gobius Melanurus. G. pinna dorsali unica, caudanigra. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 120%. Brouss. ichth. dec. 1. Goby with single dorsal fin, and black tail. A sMALL species: sufficiently described by its specific character: native country uncertain. GOBIOMORUS. GOBIOMORE. Generic Character. fTabitus generis precedentis. || Habit as in the preceding : genus. Pinne ventrales distincte. || Ventral fins distinct. Tue genus Gobiomorus is instituted by the Count de Cepede, and contains those species which differ from the genuine Gobies in having the ventral fins separate, instead of being united, as in that genus, into the form of a funnel : in the Gmelinian edition of the Systema Nature they are associated with the genus Gobius. SOUTHERN GOBIOMORE. Gobiomorus Australis. G. thalassinus, rubro-maculatus, subtus albus, capite flavo pinnis rubro variatis. Blue-green Gobiomore with red spots ; whitish beneath ; ie head variegated with yellow, and the fins with red. Gobius strigatus. G. pinna ventrali bipartita, dorsali prima sexradiata. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel, p. 1204. Brouss, achth, dec. 1. Le Gobiomore Taiboa. Cepede 2. p. 587. Native of the Southern ocean, and observed about the coasts of Otaheitee: body compressed, much elongated, and covered with squarish scales : 950 SLEEPING GOBIOMORE. head compressed, but wider than the body: upper. jaw rather longer than the lower: teeth unequal ; tongue and palate smooth, but the throat roughen- ed by small sharp teeth: first dorsal fin furnished with very long rays: tail large and rounded : ' colours of the whole animal very elegant; the back being of a blueish green, and the abdomen whitish: the head yellow, varied with green, and marked by dusky streaks and specks: sides of the body varied with reddish spots: dorsal fin trans- parent, greenish, with red rays and transverse bars: pectoral fins greenish; ventral white; anal green tinged with red: tail yellowish green, with red rays, and marked on each side by a broad, oblique, curved, red stripe. SLEEPING GOBIOMORE. Gobiomorus Dormitor. G. mazilla superiore longiore, caudu rotunda, | Gobiomore with the upper jaw longer than the lower, and round tail. _Le Gobiomore Dormeur. Cepede 2. p. 589. Native of the fresh-water lakes and rivers of South America: lower jaw longer than the upper : tail very much rounded: eleven rays in the second dorsal fin: eight in the pectoral and anal fins: colour not mentioned by Cepede, who informs us that this species is figured in the drawings of Plu- mier: supposed to take its name from the pig of its movements, or want of activity, 251 GRONOVIAN GOBIOMORE. Gobiomorus Gronovii. G. argenteus, corpore scombriformi, dorso subnigro, lateribus nigro-maculatis, cauda furcata. Silvery Gobiomore, with mackrel-shaped body, blackish back, sides spotted with black, and forked tail. Le Gobiomore Gronovien. Cepede 2. p. 584. Gobius Gronovii. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1205. Descrizep by Gronovius: native of the equatorial parts of the American seas: has some affinity to the genus Scomber: body broad or deep, and of a _ silvery colour, covered with very small, imbricated. scales, and spotted on the sides with black: the back also is of a blackish tinge: the eyes are very large ; the mouth small; furnished in both jaws, as well as in the palate, with pretty large teeth: gill- covers roundish ; back slightly convex: lateral line following the flexure of the back: vent in the middle of the body. KOLREUTERIAN GOBIOMORE. Gobiomorus Kolreuteri, G. albidus, pinnis ventralibus ovatis, brachio affixis. Whitish Gobiomore, with ovate ventral fins affixed to an arm or process. ! Gobius Koelreuteri. G. pinna ventrali bipartita, dorsalt prima undecim-radiata. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1205. Pall. sp. woah, 8. t 2.7. 1. Se Le Gobiomore Koelreuter, Cepede 2. p. 590, Descrisep by Kolreuter inthe Petersburgh Trans- actions. Length about a span: colour greyish 9529, PISONIAN GOBIOMORE. white: allied in habit to the Gobius Schlosseri, having the ventral fins attached to a kind of fleshy arm or process on each side: eyes very much ap- proximated, and situated on the top of the head : lips double and fleshy: teeth unequal and conic : upper jaw furnished on each side with a tooth much longer than the rest: lateral lme appearing as if impressed: vent situated towards the middle of the body: tail somewhat lanceolate: first dorsal fin brown, bordered with black: second dorsal fin yellowish, with a longitudinal brown stripe: pectoral fins ovate or fan-shaped : processes on which they are seated very broad. PISONIAN GOBIOMORE. Gobiomorus Pisonis. G. mawilla superiore longiore, pinna dorsali unica, Gobiomore with the upper lip longer than the lower, and single dorsal fin. | Gobius Pisonis. G. pinna ventrali bipartita, maxilla inferiore longiore. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1206. Amore Pixuma. Pis. bras. 3. p. 72. Le Gobiomoride Pison. Cepede 2. p. 593. A SMALL species, described by Piso in his Natural History of Brasil: lower jaw longer than the upper ; and both armed with several rows of pretty strong and sharp teeth: head both compressed and de- pressed, and covered with scales of nearly ‘similar size with those on the back: tail rounded: dorsal fin single. Cepede places this in a separate genus, which he calls Gobiomoroides. | / GREAT-HEADED GOBIOMORE. Gobiomorus Cephalus. G. rufus, capite magno, oculis ceruleis, pinna dorsali analique caude vicinis. Rufous Gobiomore, with large, subdepressed head, blue eyes, and dorsal and anal fins placed near the tail. Le Gobiésoce Testar. Cepede 2. p. 596. Native of the South-American rivers: head very large, rounded in front, and somewhat depressed at the hind part: eyes situated very near each other: lips double and extensile: abdomen very promin- ent : dorsal fin single, short, and situated near the tail: vent fin placed still nearer the tail, which is very long, and rounded at the tip: general colour bright rufous, deepest on the back: eyes bright blue. Described by Cepede from a drawing by Plumier. Cepede places it in a separate genus under the name of Gobdiesor, the position of the dorsal and anal fin giving it in some degree the habit of a Pike. COTTUS. BULLHEAD. Generic Character. Caput corpore latius, spi- Head broader than the body, nosum: Oculi verticales, spiny: /yes vertical, and membrana nictitante in- furnished with a nictitat- structi. ing membrane. Membr: branch: radiis sex. || Gill-membrane six-rayed. Corpus (plerisque) alepido- || Body (in most species) with- tum, versus caudam at- out scales, attenuated to- tenuatum. wards the tail. Pie dorsales (plerisque) || Dorsal fins (in most species) - due. two. RIVER BULLHEAD. 1 Cottus Gobio. C. levis olivaceo-flavescens, pigro nariatus, subtus albicans, capite utrinque mucronato. Smooth yellowish-olive Bullhead, variegated with black ; be- neath whitish; the head furnished with a spine on each side. Cottus Gobio. C. levis, capite spinis duabus. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 452. ‘Cottus spinis curvatis duabus ad utrumque operculum. Bloch. t. 38. | Bullhead, or Miller’s Thumb. Wall. itchth. River Bullhead. Penn. Brit. Zool. 3. Ts IS species is an inhabitant of clear brooks and rivers, and is found in most parts of Europe. It generally remains at the bottom; lying on the # ie M-ATILWIEID IB UILIL= HOE AD . tleath SCUGp . ne RIVER BULLHEAD. 955 gravel, or concealing itself beneath the stones, and preying on worms, water-insects, and very young fishes. It is said to deposit its spawn in a small hollow, which it forms in the gravel, and to quit its” charge with great reluctance. Linnzeus indeed, in the Systema Naturze, appears to adopt the old idea of some naturalists ; viz. that it will sooner suffer itself to be killed than desert its ova. Dr. Bloch however supposes the notion to be erroneous. In our own country this fish rarely exceeds the length of about three inches and a half; but in other parts of Europe it appears to arrive at a superior size, since the specimen figured by Baron Meidinger, in his descriptions of the fishes of Austria, measures five and a half; and it is even sometimes seen of the length of seven inches. Its general colour is yellowish olive, much deeper on the head and upper parts of the back; and the whole body is more or less clouded and speckled with small dusky varie- gations: the fins are yellowish, speckled with brown: the pectoral fins large, round, and elegantly in- dented or scolloped at the edges: they commonly consist of thirteen or fourteen rays; the dorsal of seven; the ventral of only four; the anal of thirteen, and the tail of twelve: the head is large, broad, flat, and rather thin at its circumference, being well adapted, as Mr. Pennant observes, for in- sinuating itself under stones, &c. On the middle part of the gill-covers is a small but strong spine, turning inwards, near which on each side is a second of much smaller size: the eyes are’small; the mouth wide, and furnished with pretty numerous, 356 GRUNTING BULLHEAD. minute teeth: the skin of the whole body is smooth and slippery. This fish occasionally swims with great. strength and rapidity, when in pursuit of its prey, though its general habit is that of lying in an apparently inert state. Notwithstanding its dis- agreeable appearance, it is considered as an edible fish, and is even regarded as delicate: the flesh however turns of a red or salmon-colour on boiling, and the fish is admitted only at the tables of those of inferior rank. It usually spawns in the months of March and April. : GRUNTING BULLHEAD. Cottus Grunniens. C. fuscus albido-variatus, gula ramentis villosa, corpore nudo. Brown Bullhead, with whitish variegations, naked body, and throat shagged with cirri. : | Cottus grunniens. C. gula ramentis villosa, corpore nudo. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 451. Cottus glaber, maxilla inferiore multum cirrata. Bloch. t.179, » ; Native of the Indian and American seas: length six or eight inches: colour brown, varied with white on the sides: fins pale, spotted with brown ; skin of the whole animal marked by numerous - pores, exsuding a mucous fluid, as in most other species: head large ; eyes small, mouth very wide; tongue and palate smooth ; lower jaw longer than the upper, and furnished with numerous cirri, which appear also on each side the head: lips strong ; teeth sharp, distinct, recurved, and placed in several ED BULL-HEAD. ] i zaN FOUR-HOR Heath sculp . LASHER BULL-HEAD. LASHER BULLHEAD. 957 rows: gill-covers consist of a single piece, armed with three or four spines: branchial orifice very wide, ‘This fish, like some of the Gurnards, &c. when first taken, exerts’a kind of abrupt sound, resembling in some degree the grunting of a pig, and which is produced, as in the Gurnards, &c. by the sudden. expulsion of air from the internal cavities, through the gill-covers and mouth. It is considered as an esculent fish, but the liver is said to be hurtful. LASHER BULLHEAD. Cottus Scorpius. C. fuscus albido-variatus, capite spinis pluria bus, maxilla superiore paulo longiore. Brown Bullhead, with whitish variegations, several spines on the head, and upper jaw rather longer than the lower. Cottus Scorpius. C. capite spinis pluribus, maxilla superioré paulo longiore. Lin, Syst. Nat. p. 452. Father-Lasher. Will. ichth. Penn, Brit, Zool. 3. Tue general length of this fish, in the Mediter- ranean sea, is about eight or ten inches, but it is said to arrive at a much larger size in the northern seas: the head is very large, and armed with ex- tremely strong, sharp spines, the largest of which are disposed toward the hind part, and the smallest on the fore-part: the mouth is large, and the jaws are beset with rows of very small teeth: in the roof of the mouth is also a triangular patch of minute teeth: the body tapers pretty suddenly towards the tail, and-is covered with a smooth, lubricous skin: the cclour is brown, marbled with me AY, P. IL. 17 258 _ LASHER BULLHEAD. white variegations, which are sometimes: accom panied by a reddish tinge: the belly is entirely — white: the fins and tail are transparent, slightly Clouded with brown, and the rays barred regularly with deep-brown: the pectoral fins are very large, rounded, and denticulated or scolloped on the edges: the dorsal and anal of moderate size ; the ventral small; the tail even at the end: the lateral line is strait, and formed by a train of small pealy points, covered by the common skin. | This fish is an inhabitant of the roe dieaean and northern seas, and is said to be particularly plentiful about the coasts of Greenland, where it is much esteemed as a food. It is a strong fish, swim- ming with great rapidity, and preying on the smaller fishes, sea-insects, &e. It is said to be able to live a considerable time out of water; having the power of closing the gill-covers in such a manner as to exclude the effects of atmospheric air. When first caught, if held in the hand, it exerts a strong and peculiar sound by the expulsion of air through its mouth, &c. during this action the mouth is opened to the utmost width, the pectoral fins are strongly expanded, and the whole body is ag tated: | by a vibrating or tremulous motion. 959 * FOUR-HORNED BULLHEAD. _ Cottus Quadricornis. C. olivaceus, fusco-variatus, subtus albidus, capite verrucis quatuor osseis. - Olivaceous Bullhead, variegated with brown, whitish beneath, with four bony tubercles on the head. Cottus quadricornis. C. capite verrucis quatuor osseis. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 451. _ Cottus tuberculis quatuor in capite. Bloch. t. 108. Greatty allied in general appearance to the preceding species, but smaller, and marked on the head by four rough, bony tubercles, two of which are situated towards the middle of the head, and two at the back part: colour olivaceous, marbled with brown: beneath whitish: pectoral fins very large, and rounded. Native of the Mediterranean and Baltic, as well as of the northern seas; and in manners similar to the preceding species. ROUGH BULLHEAD. Cottus Scaber. C. subfuscus squamosus, fasctis transversis fuscis, : capite striis longitudinalibus serratis, linea lateral aculeata. Brownish, scaly Bullhead, with transverse brown bands; head marked with longitudinal serrated streaks ; and spiny lateral line. ! ae Cottus scaber. C. capite striis, corporisque squamis serratis linea lateral elevata. Lain. Syst. Nat. p. 451. Cottus linea laterali aculeata. Bloch. t. 159. Native of the Indian seas: habit rather slender : body compressed, of a silvery colour, tinged with 260 INSIDIOUS BULLHEAD. blue on the back, covered with small scales, and surrounded by six or seven moderately broad and— distant rufous bands: length about twelve inches: head oblong, roughened in front by four reversed spines, and covered on the sides with small, rough scales: mouth very wide; lower jaw longer than the upper: lateral line marked by a row of spines: fins blueish, spotted on the rays, and variegated on the membranes with brown: pectoral fins rather -small. : | INSIDIOUS BULLHEAD. Cotius Insidiator. C. griseus, fusco-variatus, capite supra lineis acutis, ad latus spinis duabus scabro. Grey Bullhead, with brown variegations, head marked above by sharp lines and on each side by two spines. Cottus Insidiator. C. capite supra lineis acutis, ad latus spinis duabus scabro. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1213. Forsk. arab. p- 25. : Au.iep to the river bullhead, but a much larger species, exceeding the length of a foot. Native of the Arabian seas, where it frequents the coasts, concealing itself under the sand, and springing on such of the smaller fishes as happen to approach its haunts. It is of a depressed form, tapering to- wards the tail, and is of a greyish colour variegated | with dusky clouds and spots: the abdomen is white; the tail whitish, and marked in the middle by a bifid yellow spot accompanied by two unequal, linear, oblique black bars: on the head are spines similar to those of the river bullhead, SF * . . a a * e i . a / ‘ Lao — A ‘ * ~ ' ’ . 'c ' ’ a7. = Hill sculp . \ J ate ~ tiga WE tH f \ siti a Myint l ( e) Weiss \ Winans Wtanee ih VAR N WD =__ ZA Nu MN ‘git 961 MARSEILLES BULLHEAD. Cottus Massiliensis. C. capite polyacantho, pinnis dorsalibus coadunatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1213. Bullhead with many spines on the head, and united dorsal ran Tuts species is much allied to the Cottus Scorpio, but differs in the particulars mentioned in the specific character. H is-a@ native: of the Mediter- ranean, ‘and is said to occur about the coasts of Marseilles. MADAG ASCAR BULLHEAD. Cottus Madagascariensis. C. squamosus, capite utringue spinis duabus curvis sulcoque longitudinali medio. Scaly Bullhead with two curved spines on each side the head, and a longitudinal middle furrow. Le Cotte Madégasse. Cepede 3. p. 248. pl. 11. Descrisep by Cepede from the manuscripts of Commerson: allied in some degree to the river Bullhead, but longer in proportion, and of larger size: it is also covered with pretty large scales, and the tail is divided by two indentations into three rounded lobes*: the head is depressed, and * This circumstance appears rather doubtful; and perhaps the figure of this part, as given by Commerson, and engraved in Cepede’s work, may have been meant rather to express two large dusky marks or spots, rather than indentations ; especially: as it is expressly said by Commerson to be variegated, 962, BLACK BULLHEAD. marked by a deep longitudinal furrow; and on each side the head are two sharp curved spines: the eyes are situated very near each other on the upper part of the head: the pectoral fins are of moderate size and of a rounded form: the colour of this fish is not mentioned. Native of the African seas, and observed by Commerson about the coasts of Madagascar. | lee BLACK BULLHEAD. Cottus Niger. C. mger, capite utrinque unispinoso, mavilla in- feriore longiore, corpore squamis duris. Black Bullhead, with a single spine on each side the head, lower jaw longer than the upper, and body covered with hard scales. Tus also is a native of the African seas, and is described by Cepede from Commerson. Size and habit similar to those of the black Goby: general colour black or dark brown, the second dorsal fin as well as the vent fin being speckled and bordered with deep black; and the first dorsal fin clouded with yellow, and marked by two longitudinal blackish bands: head thick, and largest at the hind part, where it is armed on each side by a small spine, and appears as if swelled: mouth very wide: lower jaw longer than the upper, and both armed with a row of small, short, close-set teeth, resembling those on two bony protuberances near its throat: the whole body, as well as the tail itself, covered with very rough scales. 263 SOUTHERN BULLHEAD. ~ Cottus Australis. C. albidus, capite aculeate, corpore fascias transversis fuscis.. _ Whitish Bullhead, with aculeated head, and body marked with transverse livid bands. * Southern Cottus. White’s Journ. Bot. Bay, p. 260. A pousTFuL species; described by myself in Mr. White’s Voyage to Botany Bay. Length about three inches and a half: colour yellowish white, tinged with brown on the upper parts, and varie- gated by three or four transverse blackish bands: head armed with pretty numerous, strong spines both .in front and on the gill-covers: eyes large : body covered with minute scales. MAILED BULLHEAD, Cottus Cataphractus. C. fuscus subtus albidus, corpore loricato, rostro verrucis duobus bifidis, capite subtus cirroso. Brown Bullhead, whitish beneath, with the body mailed, the snout furnished with two bifid warts, and the head cirrated beneath. ti Cottus cataphractus. Lin. C. corpore octogono. Bloch. t. 38. Armed Bullhead. Penn. brit. zool. 3. — _ Tue general length of this species is about five inches ; the head is large, bony, and very rugged : the end of the nose is armed with four upright, short spines, and on the throat are a number of short white beards : the teeth are very small: the 264 JAPANESE BULLHEAD. » body is octagonal, covered with a number of bony crusts, and divided into several compartments, the ends of which project into a sharp point, and form several echinated lines along the back and the sides from head to tail: the first dorsal fin usually consists of six spiny rays; the second is placed im- mediately behind it, and consists of seven soft rays: the pectoral are broad and rounded, and are com- posed of fifteen rays. his fish is an inhabitant of the European seas, and is found in plenty on our own coasts, living on worms and water-insects, and spawning in the month of May, Its colour is brown above, and whitish beneath: and on the back are three or four blackish transverse bands. JAPANESE BULLHEAD. Cottus Japonicus. C. fusco-flavescens, corpore loricato, cirris nulls, Yellowish brown Bullhead, with mailed body and without cirri. Cottus Japonicus. C. corpore octogono, squamis osseis aculeatis loricato, cirris nullis, Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. p. 1213. Tuts, which is a native of the seas about the Kurile islands, was first described by Dr. Pallas, who informs us that it grows to the length of about twelve inches, and is of a yellowish white colour, dusky on the back: its general habit resembles that of the mailed Bullhead, being, like that species, covered with a bony armature, disposed into eight prominent lines along the body, but is destitute of the-cirri or beards under the throat» / SINGLE-FINNED BULLHEAD, 965 © the head is elongated, compressed, and flattened on the upper part, which is also marked by a longi- tudinal channel: the snout is obtuse, and divided into two lobes: the jaws are armed with a great number of small teeth: the eyes are situated to- wards the end of the snout, and ever each is a small protuberance: the gill-covers are denticulated at the edges: the fins are marked with dusky streaks, and have very rough rays: the pectoral fins are very large and of a rounded shape, as is likewise the tail. SINGLE-FINNED BULLHEAD. Cottus Monopterygius. C. corpore loricato, elongato, fasciis transversis fuscis, pinna dorsalt unica, capite mermi. _ Bullhead with elongated mailed body marked by transverse brown bands, single dorsal fin and unarmed head. Cottus monopterygius. C. dorst pinna unica, capite inermi. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel, p. 1213. Cottus monopterygius. Bloch. t. 178. Native of the Indian seas, and found about the coasts of ‘Tranquebar. Habit resembling that of the two preceding species, but the body more slender in proportion; it is covered by an octagonal bony mail, which towards the tail becomes hex- agonal: the eyes are situated near the top of the head: the upper jaw is longer than the lower, and furnished with two recurved spines : the gill-covers 266 SINGLE-FINNED BULLHEAD; consist of a single lamina, and the branchial orifice is very large: the back is marked by a longitudinal furrow: the colour of this species is brown above, and pale or whitish towards the sides, which are marked by a few transverse reddish-brown bands, accompanied by several spots of similar colour: the fins are large, and of considerable length: the dorsal and anal rather short; the ventral narrow; and the tail rounded. ~SCORP-ENA. SCORPAENA. Generic Character. Caput magnum, aculeatum, || Head large, aculeated, cirr- cirrosum, obtusum, squa- hose, obtuse, without mis nudum, subcom- scales, subcompressed : pressum: Ocult vicini. Eyes placed near each Dentes maxillis, palato, other. Zeeth in the jaws, faucibusque. | palate, and throat. Membr. branch. radiis sep- || Gill-membrane seven-rayed. tem. Corpus torosum. Pinna|| Body fleshy: Dorsal fin dorsalis unica, radiis an- single, with the rays of terioribus spinosis. the fore-part spiny. PORCINE SCORPAENA. Scorpena Porcus. S. fusca nigro variata, cirris ad oculos naresque. Brown Scorpzena variegated with black, with cirri at the eyes and nose. Scorpena Porcus. S. cirris ad oculos naresque. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 452. | Scorpzena squamis parvis, maxilla inferiore imberbi. Bloch.t.181. Tue genus Sccopeena is distinguished by a pecu- liar uncouthness of appearance ; the head, in some species, being abruptly truncated in front, of vast 968 RUFOUS SCORPAENA. size, and armed with various protuberances and spines. Among the most common of the European species is the Scorpzna Porcus, which is frequently seen in considerable numbers in various parts of the Mediterranean, where it chiefly frequents the shores, lying in ambush among stones, sea-weeds, &c. and preying on the smaller fishes and sea-insects: the head is large, the mouth wide, with many rows of small sharp teeth; the eyes large; the gill- covers armed with strong spines intermixed with cirri; the body covered with small rough scales, of a dusky colour, varied with black on the back, and beneath pale, with a reddish cast: the dorsal fin is furnished with very strong spiny rays, which the fish, when caught, erects, and thus wounds its adversary: its general length is about twelve or fifteen inches. , RUFOUS: SCORP/ENA. Scorpzna Scrofa. S. rufa fusco variata, linea laterali cirrosa. Rufous Scorpzena, with brown variegations and cirrose lateral line. : , Scorpzna Scrofa. S. cirris duobus ad labium inferius. Lin. Syst. Nat. p. 453. | 3 Scorpzna squamis magnis, linea laterali cirrosa. Bloch. ¢. 182. In general appearance so nearly allied to the preceding, that at first view it might be mistaken for the same species; but differs in its superior size, as well as in its larger scales ; and particularly PIAS’ PIP A AMSAPIY IAQ QU/DQNL UOPUuUag i ANE GAG? S 4 0 OU " VNUVAO DS Se AAS (\ \ *QNIS Ago ———_——— ZX Hy == = Soa ath EY hn 36. al 3Q lft HM |