CLASS PISCES. 439 



of the dorsal is prolonged into a filament ; some have 

 the jaws equal, and the muzzle not prominent ; their 

 mouth is small, and without teeth l . 



Some have the muzzle more salient than the jaws. 

 Their mouth is small, as in the preceding. The upper 

 combs of the first gill are united to those of the 

 opposite side, and form under the palate a very 

 curious pennated point 2 . 



We place at the end of the true herrings some 

 foreign genera, which approximate to them by their 

 trenchant and dentated belly. 



Odontognathus, Lacep. Gnathobolus, Schn., 



Have the body very much compressed, with very sharp 

 dentations as far as the anus ; the anal long, and but 

 slightly elevated, a very small brittle dorsal, which is 

 almost always obliterated ; six rays to the gills ; their 

 maxillary is prolonged a little into a point, and is 

 armed with small teeth, directed forwards, No ven- 

 trals have been perceived in them 3 . 



1 The Cailleu Tassard of the Antilles, {Clup. thrissa, Bloch, 404. 

 f. 3.) Duham, Sect. III. pi. xxxi. f. 3. Peddakome, Russel, 197. 

 Megalops. oglina, Lesueur, Sc. Nat. Philad. I. 359. M. notatus, 

 Id. 36. M. cepedianus, Id. ib. 



2 Clup. nasus, Bl. 427 ; or Kome, Russel, 19G. 



3 M. de Lacepede having seen only a badly preserved individual, 

 believed that its maxillaries were naturally directed in front of the 

 mouth like two horns ; but this was a mere accident : they are placed 

 in this genera as in all the others. It is upon this erroneous idea 

 that the name of Gnathobolus has been formed, which signifies 

 shooting, or darting the jaws. 



