on some Species ofBritisli Quadrupeds, Birds, and Fishes. 2f)i 
THORACIC FISH. 
CEPOLA ItUBESCENS. 
Gmel. Syst. iii. p. 118?. 
Turt. Linn. i. p. 739. 
Tab. XVII. 
Long, slender, smooth, subpellucid, somewhat compressed side- 
ways, tapering from the head gradually ' to the tail: head not 
larger than the body, sloping from the eye to the end of the upper 
jaw; the under jaw longest, sloping upwards; mouth large; both 
jaws furnished with one row of distant, subulate, curved teeth at 
their very edge, the front ones projecting forward : eyes large, 
placed high up in the head; irides silvery mixed with crimson; 
pupil blue-black; gill coverts composed of two plates; branchi- 
ostegous rays four: pectoral fins small, rounded, consisting of 
sixteen rays: ventral small, oval, with six rays; the first short and 
spiny, w r ith a filament adjoining longer than the other rays, and 
detached from them ; these fins are close together, and rather be- 
fore than immediately under the pectorals : the dorsal fin com- 
mences just behind the head, immediately above the opening of 
the gills, and continues without a division to join the tail, con- 
sisting of about seventy rays: the anal fin commences just behind 
the vent, which is scarce an inch from the ventral fins, and conti- 
nues, like the dorsal, to join the tail; this has about sixty-one 
rays : the caudal* fin is lanceolate, the middle ray being much the 
longest and gradually shortening on each side, till the distinction 
is lost in the dorsal and anal fins, and is composed of about twelve 
rays: the tongue is short, and with the palate is smooth; lateral 
line a little curved near the head, and afterwards runs quite 
2 p 2 straight 
