128 ACANTHOPTERYGII. SCOMBRIDiE. 



whether as regards compact gracefuhiess of form, 

 brilliancy and diversity of colours, or the elegance 

 with which the different hues are arranged, har- 

 monized, or contrasted. Perhaps the whole of 

 the great Class of vertebrate animals which form 

 the subject of this volume, cannot show a more 

 perfect example of elegance and beauty than the 

 Common Mackerel, whose history we shall now 

 proceed to delineate in detail. 



Genus Scomber. (Linn.) 



The distinguishing characters of the Mackerels 

 proper are the following : The body is spindle- 

 shaped, or swelling in the middle and gracefully 

 tapering to each extremity ; it is uniformly 

 covered with small smooth scales, which do not 

 extend to the fins. The extremity of the tail 

 is furnished with two slight ridges on each side. 

 There are two dorsals, remote from each other, 

 the second of which, as well as the anal, is fol- 

 lowed by a number of small triangular finlets ; 

 the caudal is high, narrow, and crescent-shaped. 

 The gill-covers are not armed with either spines 

 or denticulations ; the gill-rays are seven ; there 

 is a single row of small conical teeth in each jaw. 



Two, if not three species of this restricted 

 genus are taken on the shores of Britain, of 

 which the most abundant is the well-known and 

 valuable Common Mackerel, [Scomber scomber^ 

 Linn.), to the beauty of which we have already 

 alluded. It is about fifteen inches in length ; 

 the colour of the upper parts is of a brilliant 

 green, varied with rich blue, and crossed by a 

 great number of narrow black bands; these are 



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