106 ACANTHOPTERYGII. — CH^TODONTID^. 



by which they are encrusted like the rest of the 

 body ; and thus their origin is not readily dis- 

 tinguished. Their form is generally exceedingly 

 thin, but being greatly dilated in the vertical 

 direction, and much shortened longitudinally, 

 their appearance, at least in the typical genera, 

 approaches to that of a piece of money, more or 

 less nearly, that is, round and thin. The teeth are 

 fine, long, and slender, resembling hairs collected 

 in several close rows, like the bristles of a brush. 

 The name Chcetodon, by which Linnaeus desig- 

 nated the whole Family, signifies bristle-tooth, 

 and describes this peculiarity of dentition. The 

 mouth is small, and usually projects in a pro- 

 minent and pointed snout. The fins are usually 

 much developed, particularly the dorsal and anal, 

 the former of which sometimes terminates in one 

 or more free filaments of great length and slender- 

 ness, as in the genera Heniochus and Zanclus, for 

 example. In the genus Psettus, the body is so 

 drawn out above and below, and the dorsal and 

 anal fins are so pointed and hooked, that the fish 

 when laid on its side, bears no slight resemblance 

 to the figure of a bat with expanded wings. 

 Platax has these fins still more enormously 

 lengthened and pointed, as are, in this genus, the 

 ventrals also. 



The beauty of these fishes, which are generally 

 of very small size, never fails to evoke the admi- 

 ration of those who, with eyes opened to the 

 wonderful works of God, visit the shores of the 

 tropical seas. " In the Chsetodons," observes an 

 eloquent naturalist, " the seas of the torrid zone 

 possess animals not less ornamented by the hand 

 of Nature [rather by the hand of Nature's Lord], 



