472 BALISTID.E. 



PLECTOGNATHL BALISTID&* 



THE EUROPEAN FILE-FISH. 



Batistes cupriscus, CUVIER, Regne An. t. ii. p. 372. 



Capriscus Rondeletii, Pesce Balestra, WILLUGHBY, p. 152, I. 19. 



Balistes maculatvs, File-Jish, BLOCK, pt. v. pi. 151 I 



,, capriscus, Mediterranean File-fall^ JENYNS, Brit. Vert. p. 492. 



BALISTES. Generic Characters. Body compressed, covered with hard rhom- 

 boidal imbedded plates, which are not imbricated like scales ; two dorsal fins, 

 the first containing spines only, the second long ; mouth with incisor-like cut- 

 ting teeth in each jaw. 



THE only example of this genus which has occurred in the 

 English seas, that I am aware of, was taken off the Sussex 

 coast in the month of August 1827 ; and the circumstance 

 was made known by J. G. Children, Esq. who obtained the 

 specimen, and who recorded this interesting capture in his 

 address delivered at the anniversary meeting of the Zoolo- 

 gical Club of the Linnean Society on the 29th of November 

 of the same year. The specimen was exhibited. 



This fish has since been deposited in the national collec- 

 tion at the British Museum ; and by the kindness of the 



' The family of the File-fishes. 



