284 SUPPLEMENT ON 



Naturalists who refuse to establish new genera when they 

 find beings to which the characters of the old genera will not 

 apply, expose themselves to an arbitrary allocation of these 

 new beings, and to see it contested and altered by their suc- 

 cessors. These species are thus handed from genus to genus, 

 until the laws of reason shall be obeyed, and the animals are 

 separated in the method which is in conformity with nature. 

 Besides, it always happens in the end, that to these isolated 

 species some congener is found, thus removing the scruples 

 which might have been made to forming a genus with a 

 single species. 



The fish which serves as a type to Agriopus (torvas) is 

 an example of this. Gronovius made it a blennius, and it 

 was again placed with that genus by Walbaun, who con- 

 fessed, however, that properly speaking, it did not belong to 

 it, and might very well be placed elsewhere. In fact, it was 

 impossible to admit that a blennius could be so well armed, 

 and have the ventrals under the pectorals, and supported by 

 six perfectly complete rays. Our figure of this species is 

 from the British Museum. 



Bloch, in his Systema, makes it a coryphana, and this 

 without the least hesitation, although he himself has indicated 

 as one of the characters of the coryphaena the scales which 

 should cover their cheek. 



Gronovius tells us that this agriopus belongs to the Indian 

 Ocean ; but its true country is the Cape of Good Hope : M. 

 Lichtenstein assures us that he has seen it there very often. 

 It is singular enough, that being found in latitudes so much 

 frequented, and being in itself so remarkable, it should have 

 been so little known to naturalists. 



The Dutch at the Cape called it seepaard (sea-horse), and 

 use it as food. 



In this family, with scaly cheeks, so abundant in fishes of 

 peculiar form, and among the genera allied to the scor- 



