SCIENTIFIC SURVEY. 53 



scales imbedded in the epidermis. The branchiee, or gills are 

 pectinated (comb-like.) The supramaxillaries and intermaxillaries 

 are small and rudimentary. The teeth are planted on the palatine 

 and vomerine bones. With the vomer, the nasal and ethnoid 

 bones are coalescent. The pectoral fins are often absent, and the 

 ventral fins always wanting. Hence the name Apodes is given to 

 this order. The dorsal, anal and caudal fins, when present, always 

 run together. The common eel and the conger eel belong to this 

 order. This order has no sub-orders. 



Order Lemniscati, Kaup. 



Continuing the examination we find a few fishes of rather doubt- 

 ful aflBnity to the above order or sub-orders, but which for the 

 sake of convenience are placed, for the present, in an order by 

 themselves until further light is thrown upon the doubts in regard 

 to them. They are small, destitute of ventral fins and are gen- 

 erally diaphanous, or they are greatly elongated and compressed, 

 or ribbon formed. The skull and vertebral column are incomplete 

 and cartilaginous. The blood is colorless, and there is no spleen ; 

 the body is entirely naked and the arrangement of the muscles is 

 very apparent. It has received the above name (from Lemnislcos, 

 a ribbon, or crowned with a ribbon.) No sub-orders. 



Only one species has been found on the Atlantic coast, — the 

 Leptocephalus gracilis (thin head) of Storer. 



Order Nematognathi, Gill. 

 (^Threaded Jaivs.) 



Further search brings us to a grade of fishes with either naked 

 bodies, or else protected with ganoid plates. The branchiaB are 

 pectinated and supported on four arches as they are in the order 

 Teleocephali. The supramaxillary bones are little developed, and 

 are enveloped in the integuments which terminate in longer or 

 shorter barbels, — hence the name Nematognathi, threaded jaws, 

 (from nematos, thread or threaded, and gnafhi, jaws.) The sub- 

 opercular bone is always absent. The rays are mostly articulate 

 and branched. 



The "catfishes," "hornpouts" and "bullheads" are embraced 

 in this order. 



