Batrachus, Frog

-FISH, n. (Zool.) A genus of acanthopterygious fishes belonging to the family Lophide. The head is of great size, and flattened horizontally, which gives the fish an appearance like the head of a frog. The species inhabit the southern hemisphere, and lie in ambush in the sand, for the purpose of catching those fish on which they prey. The grunting frog-fish, B. grunniens, inhabiting the Indian and American seas, is peculiar for the noise it makes when taken. This is like the grunting of a pig, and arises from the animal expelling air from the internal cavities, through the mouth and gill-flaps.