146 



BLAINVILLE'S PIKED DOG-FISH. 



Spinax Blainvillii^ Bonapartb. 

 PLATE XVIII. 



Acanthias Blainvillii, Risso. — Spinax Blainvillii, Spinoroio 

 comune, Bonap Icongrophia della Fauna Italica. 



A NATIVE of the Italian shores, confounded with 

 the Linn^an S, acanthias^ and distinguished from 

 it chiefly by the relative proportion of its different 

 parts. It seldom exceeds two feet in length. 



In a few genera of osseous fishes we have spines 

 inserted into various parts, very frequently just 

 before the junction of the tail with the body; in 

 some they are several in number, in others they are 

 single only. The genus Acanthurus is so named 

 from the presence of three such spines ; and in the 

 beautiful 



