HERRINGS. 



2U 



near the middle of the back. The body is more 

 compressed than in the Sahnons, and in most of 

 the genera the belly is very thin, forming a sharp 

 edge, frequently cut into saw-like notches, by the 

 projecting scales, the points of which are directed 

 backwards. 



The mouth is small and oblique, either furnished 

 with minute teeth, or altogether destitute of these 

 organs ; the lips are very thin. The opening of 

 the gills is more than usually wide ; hence, by a 

 law already alluded to, the Herrings can survive 

 a removal from the water for only a very brief 

 period. The common Herring and Pilchard are 

 said to die in a few minutes after being caught. 

 The stomach is a lengthened sac ; the intestines 

 are furnished with many ccsca ; and there is gene- 

 rally a long and pointed air-bladder. 



The skeleton of fishes generally consists of a 

 greater number of bones than that 

 of other animals. The ribs are 

 long and slender spines, but there 

 are many other bones besides the 

 ribs, supernumerary, or rather 

 accessory, spines, which spring 

 from the bases of the ribs, and 

 other parts of the vertehrce. In 

 the Herring family these spinous 

 appendages are peculiarly deve- 

 loped ; for they are long, and at- 

 tached not only to the rib-bases, 

 but to each of the spinous pro- 

 cesses of the vertehrcE^ so that each 

 of these joints carries three pairs of 

 accessory spines, besides a series of slender diverg- 

 ing bones that run along the line of the abdomen. 



R 



N;^ 



VERTEBRA OF 

 HERRING. 



