of the male fish assumes a bright red hue. It is a voracious creature, feeding mostly upon small fishes, molluscs, and crustaceans.

When it is freshly taken from the sea, the colours of the fish are truly magnificent, and even when suspended in the shops of the London fishmonger, its brilliant hues never fail to excite the wonder and admiration of the spectators. Blue is the prevailing tint of the upper parts of the body, but it is varied with a thousand bold and withal

delicate shades of indigo, sapphire, and amethystine purple. The under parts of the body and the fins are rich orange-yellow. This splendid colouring is seen to greatest perfection during the breeding season.

The whole of the body is studded with little bony tubercles, which, when closely examined, are seen to be more or less star-shaped. Besides these little tubercles, there are four rows of larger and sharply pointed tubercles, one running along part of the back just behind the comb, two more along the sides, and another upon the abdomen. The dimensions of this fish are variable, but the average length is about sixteen inches.

THERE are only two genera in this small family, and both find examples in the British seas.

Of the second genus, the UNCTUOUS SUCKER or SEA-SNAIL (Liparis vulgaris) is a good illustration.

This species is found on most of the English coasts, but appears to be less common in the south than in the north. It derives its names of Unctuous Sucker and Sea-Snail from the soft and slime-covered surface of its body. It seems to prefer the rocky coasts, and may be found in the water-pools at low tide. The colour of this fish is pale brown streaked irregularly with a darker tint. Both the dorsal and anal fins are low, long, and reach to the commencement of the tail fin. It is a little fish, seldom exceeding four or five inches in length.

MONTAGUE'S SUCKER (Liparis Montagui) is remarkable for its habit of adhering to a stone or rock by the disc, and then curving its body to such an extent that the tail and the head almost meet. Even when merely lying at rest, and not employing the sucker, it assumes this remarkable attitude. It is smaller than the last species, rarely exceeding three inches in length. Its colour is rather dull orange above with bluish reflections, and white below. The fins are of a rather deep orange hue,

ANOTHER Small family now comes before us, called the Batrachidæ, or Frog-fishes, from the froggish aspect of the body and especially of the head.

The TOAD-FISH is a very curious-looking creature, with its flattened and wide head, gaping mouth, and spacious gill-cover. All the members of this genus are carnivorous fishes, and are spread through the coasts of the tropical regions, where they are mostly found on the bottom and partially buried in the sand or mud in hope of surprising the active prey on which they feed. Some species, however, are found even in the temperate seas.

The Toad-fish inhabits the East Indian seas, and has been taken at the mouth of the Ganges. Its colour is brown marked with a much darker tint, and the fins are streaked and blotched with similar colours. The body is without scales.

The FISHING-FROG, ANGLER-FISH, or WIDE-GAB, is not unfrequent on the British coasts, and has long been famous for the habit from which it has derived its popular

name.

The first dorsal fin is almost wholly wanting, its place being occupied merely by three spines, movable by means of certain muscles. The manner in which these spines are connected with the body is truly marvellous. The first, which is furnished at its tip with a loose shining slip of membrane, is developed at its base into a ring, through which passes a staple of bone that proceeds from the head. The reader may obtain a very perfect idea of this beautiful piece of mechanism by taking a common iron skewer, slipping a staple through its ring and driving the staple into a board. It will be then seen that the skewer is capable of free motion in every direction.

The second spine is arranged after a somewhat similar fashion, but is only capable of being moved backwards and forwards. Fishing-Frogs are sometimes found in the shops, and the inquiring reader will find himself amply repaid if he purchases one of these fishes and dissects its head merely for the purpose of seeing the beautiful structure which has been briefly described.

The use of these spines is no less remarkable than their form.

The Fishing-Frog is not a rapid swimmer, and would have but little success if it were to chase the swift and active fishes on which it feeds. It, therefore, buries itself in the muddy sand, and continually waves the long filaments with their glittering tips. The neighbouring fish, following the instincts of their inquisitive nature, come to examine the curious object, and are suddenly snapped up in the wide jaws of their hidden foe. Many fishes can be attracted by any glittering object moved gently in the water, and it is well known by anglers how deadly a bait is formed of a spoon-shaped piece of polished metal, furnished with hooks, and drawn quickly through the water.

It is a most voracious creature, and has on several occasions been known to seize a fish that had been hooked and was being drawn to the surface. In one such case, the Angler seized on a cod-fish, and held so tightly that it would not loosen its grip until struck on the head with a boat-hook. On another occasion the fish fell a victim to its over-voracity, for having dashed at a conger-eel, just hooked, and taken it into its mouth, the eel contrived to escape through one of the gill apertures, and thus was the unconscious means of involving its captor in its own fate. Even the cork-floats on lines and nets have been swallowed by the greedy fish, and when taken in a net, it devours its fellow-prisoners with perfect unconcern.

It is impossible to mistake this fish for any other inhabitant of the ocean, its huge head-wide, flattened, and toad-like-its enormous and gaping mouth, with the rows of sharply-pointed teeth, its eyes set on the top of the head, and the three long spines, being signs which cannot be misunderstood. The general colour of this fish is brown above and white below; the ventral and pectoral fins are nearly white, and that of the tail almost black. The throat, just within the jaws, is composed of loose skin, which forms a kind of bag. The average length of the adult Fishing-Frog is about a yard.

The family in which this fish is placed may be distinguished by the peculiar structure of the pectoral fins, which are mounted on a sort of arm produced by an elongation of the carpal bones. From this peculiarity, the family is termed Pediculati, or footbearing fishes, as the prolonged fins enable them to walk along wet ground almost like quadrupeds.

THE very odd-looking creature, called the WALKING-FISH, which is shown in the accompanying illustration, is one of the strange and wild forms that sometimes occur in nature, and which are so entirely opposed to all preconceived ideas, that they appear rather to be the composition of human ingenuity than beings actually existing. The traveller who first discovered this remarkable fish would certainly have been disbelieved if he had contented himself with making a drawing of it, and had not satisfied the rigid scrutiny of scientific men by bringing home a preserved specimen.

In the fishes of this genus, the carpal bones, ie. those bones which represent the wrist in man, are very greatly lengthened, more so than in the preceding genus, and at their extremity are placed the pectoral fins, which are short, stiff, and powerful, the pointed rays resembling claws rather than fins. In all the fishes of this genus the body is much compressed and decidedly elevated; but in the present species, these peculiarities are carried to an almost exaggerated extent. The first dorsal spine, with its membranous appendages, is placed as usual just above the snout, and the second ray is set immediately behind it. The third, however, is placed at a very great distance from the second, and forms part of the soft dorsal fin.

Dr. Günther remarks upon the fishes of this genus, that they are so extremely variable in form, colour, and the greater or less development of the dorsal spines, that hardly two specimens are found sufficiently alike to enable the systematic naturalist to decide upon their precise situation in the zoological scale. Moreover, their geographical range is

exceedingly wide, some species ranging over the Atlantic and Indian Oceans; and the learned ichthyologist above mentioned is of opinion that many specimens which he has at present been compelled to admit into the list of separate species, will be ultimately found to be mere casual varieties.

The colour of this species is yellow, diversified with many spots and streaks of brown, some of the streaks radiating from the eye, and others extending over the dorsal fin. It is a native of the Indian seas.

THE important family of the Blennies comes next in order. They are all carnivorous fishes, many being extremely voracious, and are spread over the shores of every sea on the globe. They mostly reside on or near the bottom.

The SEA WOLF, SEA CAT, or SWINE-FISH, is one of the fiercest and most formidable of the finny tribes that are found on our coast, and has well earned the popular names by which it is known.

The Sea Wolf possesses a terrible armature of teeth, not only in the jaws, but arranged in a double band on the palate, and by means of these powerful weapons can crush with ease the hard-shelled molluscs and crustaceans on which it feeds. As may be seen from the engraving, the aspect of the Sea Wolf is far from prepossessing, its fierce head with the armed jaws, strong and cruel as those of the tiger or hyæna, and the smooth, slime-covered skin, giving it a most repulsive aspect.

Still, it is eaten in many places, especially when it is small, not more than two feet in length, and the flesh is said by competent judges to be decidedly excellent. In order to avoid disgusting the purchaser with its ugly looks, the head is mostly removed, and the skin stripped off before it is exposed for sale. The skin, though not handsome, has yet its uses, for it is strong, flexible, and durable, and is made into bags and pockets that require peculiar strength of fabric.

The Sea Wolf is sometimes taken with the hook, but is mostly found entangled in the nets together with other fish, and in either case it struggles violently as soon as it perceives the loss of its liberty. It will tear the nets to pieces with its teeth, and when hauled out of the water, it still flounces about with such vigour, and bites at every object

with such ferocity, that the boatmen usually stun it by a blow on the head before lifting it into the vessel, a very heavy stroke being required for the purpose.

The general colour of the Sea Wolf is brownish grey, with a series of brown vertical stripes and spots over the upper parts; the under parts are white. On our shores it attains a length of six or seven feet, but in the northern seas, where it thrives best, it greatly exceeds those dimensions. There is an American variety where the vertical streaks are modified into round spots of blackish brown.

THE typical genus of this family is represented by several British specimens, of which the EYED BLENNY is one of the most conspicuous.

This pretty fish is not very common, but has been taken on the southern coasts of England. From the elevated dorsal fin, and the bold dark brown spot that decorates it, this Blenny has sometimes been called the Butterfly-fish. In the Mediterranean it is tolerably common, and lives mostly among the seaweed, where it finds abundance of the smaller crustacea and molluscs.

The dorsal fin of this fish is very large, being greatly elevated and extending from the back of the head almost to the tail. The dark spot is placed between the sixth and eighth rays. The colour of the Eyed Blenny is pale brown, patched here and there with a darker tint. The dark spot on the fin is mostly edged with white or very pale yellow. The length of this fish is seldom more than three inches.

SEVERAL other British species of blenny are acknowledged, and some are very wel! known upon our coasts.

The SHANNY, or SHAN (Blénnius pholis), is a tolerably common species, and its habits have been thus recorded by Mr. Couch: "Destitute of a swimming-bladder, this fish is confined to the bottom, where it takes up its residence on a rock or stone, from which it rarely wanders far, and beneath which it seeks shelter from ravenous fishes and birds; for cormorants, with their long and sharp beaks, drag multitudes of them from their retreats, and devour them. When the tide is receding, many of these fishes hide beneath the stones or in pools, but the larger individuals quit the water, and by the use of the pectoral fins creep into convenient holes, rarely more than one in each, and there, with the head outward, they wait for a few hours, until the return of the water restores them to liberty. If discovered or alarmed in their chambers, they retire by a backward motion to the bottom of the cavity. These circumstances show that the Shanny is retentive of life, in confirmation of which I have known it continue lively after a confinement of thirty hours in a dry box; notwithstanding which, it soon expires in fresh water."

This species is extremely variable in colour, some specimens being mottled with different shades of brown, and others of a uniform dusky tint. It may be recognised by the deep notch or slit in the middle of the dorsal fin, and the absence of appendages on the head. The length of this Shanny is about five inches.

PASSING by the remaining blennies, all of which are very similar in habits and general appearance, we must pause for a short space to examine a very curious species belonging to the same family, called the JUMPER-FISH (Salárias tridactylus).

This odd little fish offers no remarkable beauties of colour or form, being of a simple dark brown, and without any salient points of external structure; but it is possessed of a wonderful power of suddenly leaping out of the water, darting over the wet stones and rocks, and snapping up flies and other insects with the nimble agility of the lizard. It can scramble up a nearly perpendicular face of rock, and is so wary and agile, that on the least attempt to seize it, the little creature darts towards the sea and is nearly certain to make its escape. While engaged in this pursuit, the Jumper-fi-h adheres so tightly to the rock that it is not detached even by the shock of repeated waves It is quite a little fish, not more than four inches in length. Its residence is in the seas of the East Indian Archipelago. At least fifty species of the Salarias are known to zoologists.