228 FAMILY OF RIBAND-SHAPED F0R3I. ■ 



a fish SO generally distributed, so beautiful, large, 

 and every way remarkable, should have remained 

 unknown till toward the close of the eighteenth 

 century, and also that during a long time it should 

 have been successively described by many authors 

 who imagined it was new, having no knowledge of 

 their predecessors' labours. It was first noticed by 

 Briinnich, in 1767? at Spalatro, in Dalmatia; then 

 by Professor Go wan, at Montpellier, in 1770; and, 

 subsequently, at the Cape of Good Hope, on the 

 coast of Portugal, of Devonshire, Nice, Sicily, Gas- 

 cony, &c. ; so that, in the words of Cuvier, it is 

 found all round the southern and western shores of 

 Europe. In addition to these instances, Mr. Yarrell 

 has received intimation of others, six having been 

 noticed on the coasts of Cornw^all and Devonshire, 

 and one in Guernsey. 



The best general idea we can form of this fish is 

 to conceive a large and broad riband of silver, swim- 

 ming with undulatory motion through the water, 

 and in its progress shedding abroad the most beauti- 

 ful shining reflections. The most striking characters 

 consist in the peculiarity of its teeth, its roundish 

 scales, the rudiments of the ventral scales, and of a 

 third situate behind the anal. The iris is of the 

 colour of silver, and the fins appear to be transpa- 

 rent or yellowish grey^ The largest specimen exa- 

 mined by the authors of the Hist. Naturelle was 

 six feet, Fr. ; Col. Montague's measured five feet 

 six inches, and when gutted, w^eighed more than 

 6 lbs. The tongue was smooth, and, like the inside 



