FOSSIL FISHES. 



39 



all oviparous. The " Flying-fish " — Exocetm (Fig. 50)— and the 

 " Saury " and " Gar-pike " belong to this family. The genus 

 Holostens occurs fossil iu the Eocene of Monte Bolca, and Belone 

 (the " Gar-pike ") in the Miocene of Licata in Sicily. 



Fig. 56. — The Flying Fish (Exoccetus uolitans), living in the Mediterranean Sea. 



The Esocidcc. — Fishes of this family, apparently identical with 

 the existing freshwater "Pike" (Fig. 57), are abundant in the 

 Miocene Limestone of CEningen, and in the freshwater Marl of 

 Silesia. Very perfect specimens of Esox, from the first-named 

 locality, are exhibited in the Wall-cases. An allied genus is 

 Splienolepis, a large fish with long wedge-shaped scales ; it occurs 

 in the freshwater limestone at Aix, and in the Gypsum at Paris. 



Fig. j~. — The Common Pike {Esox lucius), living in the freshwaters of Europe, &c. 



The Salmonidce — or Salmon-family — which inhabit both the sea 

 and freshwater, are peculiar to the temperate and Arctic zones of 

 the Northern hemisphere : only one occurring in New Zealand. 

 This is one of the most valuable families of fishes to man. None 



