ACANTHOPTERYGII. 305 



troops, in the shallow bays in the south coast of Long Island, 

 where the fishermen find thern during the summer. They are 

 lazy and stupid fish. Schoepf says that they are found in still 

 greater abundance, and during the whole year, along the coasts 

 of Carolina and Florida. 



There are also some of these fish along the coasts of Brazil ; 

 and specimens have been seen by the Baron, which could in 

 no wise be distinguished from those of the United States. A 

 pharyngeal bone of one of them, represented by Jussieu, came 

 from Brazil, and differs not in the least from specimens 

 brought from New York. Thus we cannot doubt that the 

 same species lives in these two latitudes. 



There are pogonias also to be found further to the south, 

 for the courbina of the inhabitants of Monte Video is cer- 

 tainly one. This fish was caught by Commerson in the 

 waters of that town, while he was there with Bougainville in 

 1767. Having then but little practical knowledge of fish, 

 and able to study them only after the method of Linnaeus, it 

 was to the genus silurus, such as it had been formed by the 

 Swedish naturalist, that he conceived he ought to refer it. 

 But he took care to remark that it rather resembled sparus. 

 He made of this fish a genus which he called pogonate, left 

 to the species its name of courbina, and subsequently asso- 

 ciated with it an umbrina, which he called pogonate dore. 

 Nevertheless his description leaves nothing equivocal : it is 

 much detailed, and conformable with that of the large drums 

 in all points, even to the numbers of the radii and the stones 

 of the ears. 



The genus HiEMULON, Rouge-gueule, or red-throat, is so 

 named from the red of that part of the lower jaw which is 

 covered when the mouth is closed. 



At the head of the sciaenoi'des with less than seven branchial 

 rays is placed a small group of Lobotes, which has but six, 

 and which is distinguished by a short muzzle, a prominent 



vol. x. x 



