=Suborder Craniomi: the Gurnards, Triglidæ.=—A remarkable offshoot from the _Pareioplitæ_ is the suborder of gurnards, known as _Craniomi_ (κράνιον, skull; ὤμος, shoulder). In these fishes the suborbital stay is highly developed, much as in the _Agonidæ_, bony externally and covering the cheeks. The shoulder-girdle is distorted, the post-temporal being solidly united to the cranium, while the postero-temporal is crowded out of place by the side of the proscapula. In other regards these fishes resemble the other mail-cheek forms, their affinities being perhaps closest with the _Agonidæ_ or certain aberrant _Cottidæ_ as _Ereunias_. In the true gurnards or _Triglidæ_ the head is rough and bony, the body covered with rough scales and below the pectoral fin are three free rays used as feelers by the fish as it creeps along the bottom. These free rays are used in turning over stones, exploring shells and otherwise searching for food. The numerous species are found in the warm seas. In Europe, the genus _Trigla_, without palatine teeth and with the lateral line armed, is represented by numerous well-known species. _Trigla cuculus_ is a common form of the Mediterranean. _Chelidonichthys_, similar to _Trigla_ but larger and less fully armed, is found in Asia as well as in Europe. Several species occur in the Mediterranean. _Chelidonichthys kumu_ is a common species in Japan, a large fish with pectorals of a very brilliant variegated blue, like the wings of certain butterflies. [Illustration: FIG. 409.—Sea-robin, _Prionotus evolans_ (L.). Wood's Hole, Mass. ] _Lepidotrigla_, with larger scales, has many species on the coasts of Europe as well as in China and Japan. _Lepidotrigla alata_, a red fish with a peculiar bony, forked snout, is common in Japan. The American species of gurnards, having teeth on the palatine, belong to the genus _Prionotus_. Northward these fishes, known as sea-robins, live along the shores in shallow water. In the tropics they descend to deeper water, assuming a red color. _Prionotus carolinus_ is the commonest species in New England. _Prionotus strigatus_, the striped sea-robin, and _Prionotus tribulus_, the rough-headed sea-robin, are common species along the Carolina coast. None have much value as food, being dry and bony. Numerous fossil species referred to Trigla are found in the Miocene. _Podopteryx_, from the Italian Miocene, with small pectorals and very large ventrals, perhaps belongs also to this family, but its real affinities are unknown. [Illustration: FIG. 410.—Flying Gurnard, _Cephalacanthus volitans_ (L.). Virginia. ] [Illustration: FIG. 411.—_Peristedion miniatum_ Goode & Bean. Depths of the Gulf Stream. ]