ICHTHYOLOGY. 



171 



Percidoe. 



Aeanthop- of finer flavour, and will keep longer, than fish drawn from 

 terygii. shallow water. 



The law referred to has its origin in the principles of 

 organization ; and though it would be difficult for the ana- 

 tomist to demonstrate those deviations in structure be- 

 tween the trout and the tench which give rise to these 

 distinctions and their effects, it is only necessary to make 

 the point of comparison wider to be assured of the fact. 



" Between a fish with a true bony skeleton, the highest 

 in organization among fishes, and the lamprey, the lowest, 

 the differences are most obvious. If we for a moment 

 consider the lamprey, which is the lowest in organization 

 of the vcrlebrated animals, with only a rudimentary ver- 

 tebral column, as the supposed centre of zoological struc- 

 ture, and look from thence up and down the scale of or- 

 ganization, we on the extreme on one side arrive at man, 

 to whom division of his substance would be destruction ; 

 but on the other we come to the polype, the division of 

 which gives rise to new animals, each possessing attributes, 

 not only equal to each other, but equal also to the animal 

 of which they previously formed but a small part."' The 

 species represented in our accompanying illustration (see 

 Plate CCXCVIII. fig. 9) is T. radiatus, well known in the 

 Mediterranean. 



The Trachini of exotic regions, if such exist, are un- 

 known. They are in some measure represented there by 

 the genus Percis of Bloch and Schneider, which is found 

 in the Indian, African, and New Holland seas. 



The genus Pinguipes, of a heavy form, is distinguished 

 by its strong conical teeth ; its fleshy lips, and teeth upon 

 the palate ; and by its thick ventrals. The only known 

 species is from Brazil. The genus Percophis, on the 

 contrary, is much elongated in its shape (combining, as it 

 were, that of the perch and serpent, — from whence the 

 name) ; some of the teeth are long and pointed, and the 

 extremity of the lower jaw projects. The sole species is a 

 rare and remarkable fish from Rio Janeiro, discovered by 

 the French naturalists attached to Freycinet's expedition. 



Genus Uranoscopus, Linn. Eyes placed on the upper 

 surface of a nearly cubical-shaped head ; mouth vertically 

 cleft ; pre-opercle crenate towards its base ; a strong spine 

 at each shoulder ; gills with only six rays. 



In the interior of the mouth of this remarkable genus, 

 and in front of the tongue, there is a long and narrow 

 shred, which they can exsert at pleasure, and which it is 

 said they use while lying concealed in the mud, to attract 

 their prey, consisting of the smaller fishes. Another sin- 

 gularity in their structure consists in the immense size of 

 the gall-bladder, a fact well known to ancient observers. 

 In some of the species the first dorsal, which is small and 

 spinous, is separated from the second, which is soft and 

 long. Such is U. scaber, a Mediterranean species, not un- 

 frequently used as food, although of a most ugly and re- 

 pelling aspect. In others the dorsal is single, and its spi- 

 nous and softer parts continuous. Such is U. inermis, the 

 species represented in Plate CCXCVIII. fig. 10, which at- 

 tains to the length of a couple of feet, and is native to the 

 coast of Coromandel. It dwells in the sand, and the In- 

 dian fishers allege, what is no doubt a gross exaggeration, 

 that it sometimes penetrates to a depth of twenty feet. 



In the third principal division of the percoid family the 

 ventral fins are inserted behind the pectorals. They are 

 hence named 



Abdominal Percid^. 



Genus Polynemus, Linn. Several of the inferior rays 

 of the pectorals firee, and forming so many filaments ; ven- 



trals not greatly posterior to the pectorals ; pelvis still sus- Acamhop- 

 pended to the bones of Uie shoulder. 



The species are allied to the Percidse in general by the 

 close set teeth upon their jaws, vomer, and palate ; but 

 they possess the arched or convex snout, and the scaly 

 vertical fins, which distinguish so many of the Sciaenidee. 

 Their two dorsals are distant ; their pre-opercle dentated, 

 and their mouths greatly cleft. They appear to inhabit 

 the seas of all warm countries. P. loiigifilis of Cuv. {P. 

 paradiseus and qiiitiqiiinarius, Linn.) is the noted mango- 

 Jish of India, so called from its fine yellow colour. According 

 to Russel and Hamilton Buchanan, it is the most delicious 

 of all the species eaten in Bengal. It is fished for all the 

 year round, at the mouths of rivers, where the waters are 

 saline. It ascends to some distance about spawning time 

 in spring, but not beyond the influence of the tide. When 

 in prime condition, the mango-fish, though onlyafew inches 

 long, sells so high as a rupee. The eggs are also much 

 esteemed. The colours of this species, like those of other 

 fishes, seem to vary greatly, probably in relation to the 

 condition of individuals, or the season of the year. M. 

 Dussumier describes it as of a citron yellow, with the fins 

 and filaments of a beautiful orange. Buchanan states that 

 the greater niunber are silvery, with reflections of gold 

 and purple, and a greenish tint upon the back ; the fins 

 being then yellow, and the upper parts spotted with black. 

 The same author names the silvery mango-fish P. risua, 

 and the yellow ones P. aureus ; but he hesitates to make 

 them distinct species, and rather opines that the fine co- 

 lour is the result of season, and that it continues only du- 

 ring spawning time. This view of the subject is well 

 confirmed by the fact, that the high-coloured specimens 

 sent to Europe by M. Dussumier were full either of roe 

 or milt, and is moreover in exact conformity with the ob- 

 servations of all practical anglers and Ichthyologists in 

 relation to the species of our own country. We here 

 figure (Plate CCXCVIII. fig. 11) a recently-discovered 

 species, received by Baron Cuvier from Senegal. It is 

 named P. quadrifilis, having only four free rays on the 

 pectoral fins. 



In the ensuing genera of the abdominal Percidae, the 

 ventrals are placed farther back, and the pelvis no longer 

 adheres to the bones of the shoulder. 



Genus Sphyr^na, Bloch and Sch. Form elongated ; 

 two distant dorsals ; head oblong, with the lower jaw 

 forming a projecting point beyond the upper one ; a por- 

 tion of the teeth large, pointed, and cutting ; opercle 

 without spines; pre-opercle without dentations; seven 

 branchial rays ; numerous appendages to the pylorus. 



These fish were formerly classed w ith the pikes ; and 

 the Italians still name them Lucii marini, on account of 

 their strong and pointed teeth. The Mediterranean spe- 

 cies (S. vulgaris, Cuv. ; Esox sphyrana, Linn.) attains to 

 the length of three feet. <S. picuda, from the coast of 

 Brazil, is extremely similar. This fish, though used as 

 an article of food, is occasionally poisonous. M. Poey 

 alleges that the malady produced by eating it is some- 

 times mortal ; but he adds that it is easy to distinguish 

 the dangerous individuals beforehand, by a peculiar black- 

 ness at the base of their teeth. Another species (S. bar- 

 racuda, Cuv. ; £isox barracud, Shaw), which likewise oc- 

 curs along the Brazilian shores, and among the Antilles, 

 is said to be extremely formidable, on account of its fero- 

 cious habits. It is among the number of those marine 

 monsters of which Rochefort speaks in his Histoire des 

 Antilles, as greedy of human flesh. He states it to at- 

 tain the length of seven or eight feet, and that it darts 

 with fury upon any man whom it perceives in the water. 



' Britisti Fishes, p. 22. 



