186 ORDER ACANTHOPTERYGII. 



subgenus leads distinctly to the lepidopi and to the 

 trichiuri ! . 



Gempylus 2 . 



Resemble the thyrsites by the jaw-teeth ; but their 

 palate is destitute of teeth, and their ventrals are 

 almost imperceptible, which also brings them nearer 

 to the lepidopi 3 . 



Xiphias, Linn. 



Belong to the scomberoides, and are nearly allied to 

 the tunny by their very small scales, by the keels on 

 the sides of their tail, by the strength of their caudal 

 fin, and all their interior organization. 



Their distinctive character consists in the beak 

 or long point shaped like a sword or spit, which ter- 

 minates their upper jaw, and forms a very powerful 

 weapon, with which they attack the largest marine 

 animals. This beak is composed principally of the 

 vomer and inter-maxillary bones, and is strengthened 

 at its base by the ethmoid, the frontal, and maxillary 

 bones. Their gills are not pectinated, but each formed 

 of two large parallel laminae, the surface of which is 

 reticulated 4 . 



1 Scomber dentatus, Bl. Schn., or Sc. atun, Euphrasen andLacep. 

 or Acinacee batarde, Bory Saint Vincent. 



2 Ancient name of an unknown fish. 



' Gempylus serpens, C, or Serpens marinus compressus lividus, 

 Sloane i. 1. f. 2. 



* It was from this that Aristotle said that the Xiphias has eight 

 gills. 



