Rockling

Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 8: Peasant to Eoumelia, p. 756
An illustration of a fish, identified as a Three-bearded Rockling or Sea Loach. It has a long, slender body with a dark dorsal fin and a lighter, speckled belly. Three small, pointed barbels are visible near its mouth. The fish is shown swimming in water with some aquatic plants in the background.
Three-bearded Rockling or Sea Loach.

Rockling (Onus), a genus of fishes of the Cod family Gadidae, represented on the British coasts by several species distinguished among other things by the number (3-5) of barbels. The larger species reach a length of 17 inches; but none are of any value as food, their flesh acquiring an unpleasant smell a few hours after being taken out of the water.

Source scan(s): p. 0767