gQ FAMILY SCOMBRIDjE. 



mined. Cuvier and Valenciennes suppose it common in the waters of New York, 

 because they have received " numerous specimens " from that city ; but Dr. DeKay 

 declares that he has never seen it in that latitude. 



General Remarks. Linnteus published the first account of this fish, from 

 notes and specimens sent him by Dr. Garden, of Charleston, who called it Salt- 

 water Bream. Gmelin, Shaw, and Lacepede have only copied Linnaeus, without 

 alteration, and this seems to be all that was known of our animal, previous to the 

 work of Cuvier and Valenciennes ; for I cannot believe, with them, that the Poki 

 or Porgee of Schoepfi" has any reference to this fish ; as Schoepff expressly says, 

 that the whole body of his Porgee is silver-colour, and without stripes or spots ; 

 and he furthermore remarks, that it might possibly be identical Avith the Sparus 

 argyrops of Linnaeus (which it really is), though he confesses he could not see the 

 three anterior prolonged dorsal rays. This animal cannot be retained in the ge- 

 nus Sargus, where it has been placed by ichthyologists ; nor yet even in the fam- 

 ily Sparidse, because it lacks its most distinctive character, "jaws not protrac- 

 tile" ; nor can it be arranged with the Menida;, though its jaws are protractile, for 

 it has the broad incisor teeth of Sargus ; — I have, therefore, established for it the 

 genus Lagodon, to which must also be referred the Sargus unimaculatus of Cuvier 

 and Valenciennes. 



FAMILY ^COMB^IBM. — Agassiz. 



Characters. Body more or less elongated, and in general fusiform ; ventral 

 fins thoracic or jugular ; two dorsal fins contiguous or remote ; anterior dorsal 

 spinous, posterior with soft rays ; Avith or without finlets behind the dorsal and 

 anal fins ; vertical fins without scales ; opercle and pre-opercle without spines or 

 serratures ; scales cycloid and small ; branchial rays seven. 



Remarks. Such are the characters of this family, as it now stands restricted 



