30 ZENID.E. 



rather than spine, concealed completely within the skin at the base in front. 

 The second ray is the longest of all, broad, unbranched ; the two next rays are 

 forked ; the fifth, sixth, and seventh branched ; from the seventh to the fifteenth 

 the rays are less and less branched ; the twelve next are altogether simple, neither 

 branched nor barred, but still weak and cartilaginous like the rest, and in no 

 degree spiny; the twenty-eight remaining rays again are branched, becoming 

 gradually more and more so towards the end ; the last six or eight being 

 double or bifid to the base, and so close together, and confusedly and copiously 

 branched, that it is quite impossible to reckon them coiTectly without dissection. 

 The lowest even part of the fin, extends from about the fifteenth, to the thirtieth 

 ray ; and the height of its broader hinder end is about one sixth of that of the 

 produced part in front. 



The anal fin is seated in a similar groove, and corresponds with the hinder 

 low half of the dorsal ; beginning opposite its twenty-second or twenty-third 

 ray. It is not produced or elevated at all in front ; but is gradually broader 

 backwards, and rounded like the hinder end of the dorsal fin. Its first ray is 

 a short, thick, obscure, triangular bone rather than spine, completely hid and 

 buried in the thick loose skin. The second ray is flexible and slightly branched, 

 but very little longer than the six or seven following ones, which are also 

 scarcely branched. The hinder rays are gradually more branched ; the last six 

 or eight being very copiously and confusedly so, and bifid to the base, so as to be 

 with difficulty reckoned. Mr. Yarrell speaks of " a triangular scale pointing back- 

 wards," which in the British fish precedes the anal fin. I can find no trace of 

 this, unless it be what I have called above the first ray of the fin. 



Pectoral fins placed high up, rather above the middle of the sides ; their base, 

 which is a singular peculiarity, being completely horizontal. This is caused, ac- 

 cording to MM. Cuvier and Valenciennes (vol. x. p. 56,) by the enormous deve- 

 lopement of the cubital bone. When turned down, the upper side of their base is 

 discovered to be peculiarly tumid, smooth, and naked, covered with a fine, soft, 

 wrinkled, flaccid skin of a metallic lustre, affording them great play in a vertical di- 

 rection. On dissection, they are found to be curiously articulated to the four carpal 

 bones, by means of four prominent oval knobs or knuckles on their edge, like four 

 small bird's eggs in a row, diminishing in size backwards. The whole is enclosed 

 in a stronw capsular ligament ; and connecting weaker ligaments, pass also from the 

 interstices of the knuckles to the opposite dissepiments of the cells or cups at the 

 base of the fin, into which they fit. The fin itself is large and falcate, measuring 

 one fourth and a quarter of the entire length of the fish. The first ray is a very 

 short spine ; the second is the longest of all, but unbranched and very broad at 

 the base; the third and fourth are bifid halfway down ; the rest much branched. 



The ventral fins resemble the pectorals ; they are only a very little shorter, and 

 have no short spine in front, the first ray, answering to the second of the pectoral 

 fins as above described, being simple, and the longest of all. The hinder rays be- 

 come gradually more and more branched. These fins are articulated to a plain, 

 rounded, even edge of bone ; but the skin at their base is soft and finely wrinkled 

 as in the pectorals, forming a curious raised sort of fleshy cushion, contrasting 

 with the rest of the skin, which is remarkably hard and thick, especially towards 

 the head, and keel of the breast, where it is half an inch thick. Their position 

 is apparently abdominal ; though on dissection they are found to be really tho- 

 racic, or connected with the shoulder-bones, instead of free, as in the truly ab- 

 dominal fishes. They are inserted close together on the belly, behind its most 

 prominent or deepest part. The base of tlieir first ray falls a little behind a verti- 

 cal line through the root of the last ray of the pectoral fins ; and the distance from 

 the base of their last ray to the origin of tlie anal fin, scarcely exceeds the 



