WEEVER, or Smo-FLSit, Trachinus, a genus of acanthopterous fishes of the family uranoscophhe, also called trachinida. In this family the ventrals are composed of a spine and five jointed rays, and are generally situated before the pectorals. The scales are cycloid, or wanting. The eyeballs are capable of being raised in a remarkable manner out of their sockets, and of being retracted again to the level of the orbits. The species frequent the bottom of the sea. They are often furnished with barbels, and have also a peculiar membranous filament under the tongte, which they can protrude at pleasure. In the genus trachinus the head is compressed, the eyes are placed high and close together; there is a long sharp spine on the hinder part of the gill-cover. There are two dorsal fins; the second dorsal and the anal are long; the ventrals are close to the throat. Two species are found on the British coasts, the GREATER WEEVER or STING-BULL (T. draed), and the Lermu WEEVER or VIPER WEEVER (T. dpera). The former attains a length of nearly one foot; the latter seldom of more than four or five inches. The gen eral form, is long, narrow, and compressed; the little weever is proportionally deeper in body than the greater weever. The head of both is short, compressed, flat between the eves, and rough on the summit; both dorsals and the anal tins are spiny; and in both the gill-cover is furnished with a strong and sharp spine, which is directed backward, and can be appressed to the body, but which is also capable of being made to stand out so as to present its point to an adversary. Both species are of a yellowish brown color.
They inhabit parts of the sea having a sandy bottom, and often partially bury themselves in the sand, but are ready to move off with great celerity if disturbed. They can live long out of the water; and if left by the retiring tide suffer no inconvenience. If assailed they can, by a sudden bending of the body, make use of one of the strong spines of the gill-covers against the assailant; and the wound thus inflicted is so severe as to lead to the opinion that the spine is coated with a venomous exudation. Naturalists, however, generally supposed the popular opinion to be erroneous, and the severity of the wound to be merely owing to the laceration effected by the spine, until it was discovered by Dr. Giinther, in 18G4, that poison-glands existed in connection with spines of some South American fishes of the family eiluridce. A peculiar stinging sensation attends a wound by a spine of a weever, which extends far up the arm, if the wound has merely been in a finger, and is much more severe than the pain of a wasp-sting. There is also a groove in the spine, which has perhaps something to do with the conveyance of the poison; but no poison-gland has yet been proved to exist. In France the fishermen are required, under a penalty, to cut off the spines of weevers before selling them. 'Weevers are esteemed for the table.