class pisces. 39,3 



Belone, Cuv. 



In these fishes the intermaxillaries form the whole 

 edge of the upper jaw, which is prolonged, as well as 

 the lower, into a long muzzle ; both jaws are furnished 

 with small teeth ; there are no other teeth in the 

 mouth ; those of the pharynx are en pave. The 

 body is elongated, and clothed with scales not very 

 apparent, except a longitudinal range carinated on 

 each side near the inferior edge. They differ little 

 from the pikes in their intestines. Their bones are 

 very remarkable for their fine green colour \ 



We have one species near our coasts two feet long, 

 green above, white underneath, which constitutes a 

 good dish, notwithstanding the prejudice inspired by 

 the colour of its spines. Esox belone, L., Bl. 33. (the 

 Sea-pike or Gar-fish). There are kindred species in all 

 seas. It is reported that one of them arrives to the 

 length of eight feet, and that its bite is dangerous 2 . 



1 This colour is inherent in the hones, and depends neither on the 

 cooking nor on the spinal marrow, as Bloch imagined, Ed. de Schn. 

 p. 391. 



2 The Brocket de Bantam, Renard, part ii. fol. 14. No. 65 ; the 

 Belone crocodila, Lesueur, Ac. Sc. Nat. Philad. I. 129, prohably 

 the same as the Wahla Icuddera, Russell 175, and as the variety of 

 the Orphie (Belone), Lacep. VII. pi. v. f. 1. Add Belone caudima- 

 cula, N., Kuddera, A, Russell 176. ; Belone cancila, Ham., Buch. 

 xxvii. 70. ; Belone argalus, Lesueur, Ioc. cit. p. 125. ; Bel. trun- 

 cata, Id. p. 126. ; Bel. caribcea, Id. 127., which, perhaps, is the 

 Timucu of Marcgrave 168.; and other species which we shall de- 

 scribe in our Ichthyology. 



