80 WITH HARD CHEEKS. 



Most writers on Ichthyology, even up to the present time, 

 have stated that fishes with large gill-apertures, like the 

 Herring, die soon when taken out of the water ; and that, 

 on the contrary, those with small gill-openings, like the 

 Eel, have the power of sustaining life for a considerable 

 time under the same circumstances. I will not say that 

 the authors who have taken this view of the subject are in 

 error ; but I will venture to state the facts that appear to 

 justify the belief that the duration of life in fishes, after they 

 are taken out of water, is not altogether dependent on the size 

 of the gill-opening. 



That the Herring, the Mackerel, and many other fishes 

 that swim near the surface, have large gill-apertures, and die 

 almost immediately they are taken out of water, is most true ; 

 and that the Eel, with its small gill-aperture, does live for 

 hours after it is taken out of water, is also true ; but it will 

 not be difficult to find many examples the very reverse of the 

 instances supporting the rules, and also to show that in those 

 fishes with large gill-apertures that do die quickly, the real 

 cause of death has not been truly assigned. 



The Carp, Tench, Barbel, Perch, and most of the various 

 flat fish, have large gill-apertures, and yet they are all pro- 

 verbially known to be able to sustain life long after they are 

 removed from water. Cuvier, when writing on the genus 

 Trachinus, says, in the Histoire Naturelle des Poissons, 

 tome iii. p. 235, " Le noin Francois de Vive, que ces pois- 

 sons portent sur nos cotes de Focean, et celui de Weever, 

 qu'on leur donne en Angleterre, viennent, dit-on, de ce 

 qu'ils ont la vie dure et subsistent long-terns hors de reau." 

 Yet, when describing La Vive and its gill-apertures, the 

 words are (at p. 239) : " et Ton voit meme que la fente des 

 branchies est tres-ample et s'ouvre jusque vis-a-vis la com- 

 missure des machoires."" The two marine species of the 

 genus Coitus just described have large heads and wide gill- 



