MALACOPTERYGII ABDOMINALES. 243 



placed on a scaly and somewhat elongated arm. There is a range of 

 conical teeth round each jaw, and behind them, others which arfe 

 small and crowded, or rasp-like. The stomach is very large, the 

 intestine thin, straight, and furnished with a spiral valve and a sin- 

 gle caecum; the double natatory bladder has large lobes, that on the 

 left is particularly so, and communicates with the oesophagus by a 

 wide hole. 



There is one species with sixteen dorsals, discovered in the 



Nile by M. Geoffroy, Polypterus bichir, Geoff., Ann. Mus., I, v; 



and another from the Senegal which has but twelve, the P. se- 



negalus, Cuv. They are both eaten. 



I 



ORDER III. 



MALACOPTERYGII SUBRACHIATI. 



This order is characterized by veiitrals inserted under the 

 pectorals ; the pelvis is also directly suspended to the bones of 

 the shoulder. It contains almost as many families as genera. 



FAMILY I, 

 GADITES, 



This family is almost wholly composed of the great genus 



Gadus, Lin.(l) 



Recognized by the ventrals, which are pointed and attached to the 

 throat. The body is moderately elongated, slightly compressed, and 

 covered with rather small and soft scalesj the head is well proportion- 

 ed, but without scales; all the fins are soft; the jaws and front of the 

 vomer armed with pointed, unequal, moderate or small teeth, dis- 



(1) Gadus, the Greek name of a fish also called Onos. Artedi applied it to this 

 genus in order to avoid those of Onos, Jlssellus, and Mustela, employed by the an- 

 cients, and which were thought, by the first modern icthyologists, though without 

 proof, to indicate some of our Gadi, but which, being also name sof quadrupeds, 

 would have occasioned ambiguity. 



