112 POGONIAS CROMIS. 



FAMILY SCIJE'NI'DJE.— Cuvie): 



Characters. Teeth in the maxillary and inter-maxillary bones; vomer and 

 palate bones without, smooth ; snout in general rounded ; cranial bones caver- 

 nous ; opercular bones with serratures or spines ; dorsal fin single or double ; 

 vertical fins more or less covered with scales at their bases ; most species have an 

 air-bladder, often very complicated in structure, but some few are without it ; 

 scales ctenoid ; the branchial rays vary in number. 



General Remarks. This is a numerous and widely extended family of fishes, 

 being common to both continents, though the species belonging to one are never 

 found in the other. They are abundant along the shores of Carolina, Georgia, 

 and Florida, and constitute, perhaps, a majority of the fishes of those regions. 

 More than two hundred and fifty diff"erent species of Scieenidse are already known ; 

 which have been arranged by Cuvier and Valenciennes in thirty-one genera. 



GENUS POGONIAS. — iac^^tV/e. 



Characters. Numerous barbels at the chm and lower jaw ; pharpigeal bones 

 armed with large, sub-conical, rounded, and paved teeth ; dorsal fin deeply emar- 

 ginate; branchial rays seven. 



POGONIAS CROMIS. — Linnaus. 

 Plate XVI. Fig. 2. 



Specific Characters. Body large, compressed, arched above ; dorsal fin deeply 

 emarginate; numerous barbels at the chin and lower jaw; dull silvery, or lead- 



