186 ACANTHOPTERYGII. — LABRID^. 



grinding away the whole calcareous surface ; but 

 to the powerful jaws and teeth of the Labridce 

 this is an easy task ; it is soon reduced to a pulp, 

 and deposited in the stomachs of these fishes, 

 where the nutritive matter is digested, and the 

 stony residue rejected. Some of the genera have 

 the power of protruding the mouth, and some 

 (as the genus Epihulus) can impart a see-saw 

 motion to the maxillary bones, analogous to that 

 peculiar action of the jaws in the Rodentia, where- 

 by they are enabled to gnaw away the hardest 

 substances on which they feed, and probably here 

 answering a similar end. 



The beauty of these fishes is their only recom- 

 mendation to man ; their flesh is, for the most 

 part, soft, and in no estimation as food. 



We may consider the Lahridce as constituting 

 three sub-families, distinguished by the following 

 characters. 



1. Lahrina. In the typical group, the lips are 

 very thick and fleshy ; they are double, one lip 

 adhering immediately to the jaw-bones, the other 

 to the sub-orbitals. The teeth in the jaws are 

 conical, those in the pharynx cylindrical, arranged 

 like a pavement ; the upper ones with two large 

 plates, the under with one only, which fits to the 

 others. The cutting teeth are sharp, simple, and 

 distinct, those in front are the largest. The gills 

 are thickly set, with five rays. The ventrals and 

 pectorals are small. About three hundred species 

 are enumerated as belonging to this group, which 

 includes all the Lahridce, thirteen in number, 

 found on the British coasts. 



2. Chromidina, In many of their characters 

 the members of this group resemble those of the 



