ICHTHYOLOGY. 



197 



Malacop- 

 terygii 

 Abdomi- 



nales. 

 Cvpvinidae, 



and between the lobes of the caudal there issues a filament 

 sometimes as long as the whole body ; the tube of the 

 mu/,7.1e is very long and depressed, the swimming bladder 

 excessively large, and the scales invisible. In the subdivi- 

 sion called AuLosTOMA by Lacep^de, a name derived fioni 

 avXoi, a Jiute, and Sro/ia, the month, the dorsal is |)reced- 

 ed by numerous free spines, and the jaws are without teeth. 

 The body, which is very scaly, is broad, and compressed 

 between the dorsal and anal, the latter followed by a short, 

 small tail, terminated by the usual fin. The tube of the 

 muzzle is rather short, large, and compressed ; the swim- 

 ming bladder very large. We are acquainted with only 

 one species (Fisltdaria chinensis, Bl.), \vliicii is found in 

 the Indian seas. 



The CENTitisci of Linn, possess the tubular trunk of 

 this family; the body, however, is not elongated, but oval 

 or oblong, compressed laterally, and sharp on the under 

 side ; the gills have only two or three slender rays ; the 

 first dorsal is spiny, and the small ventrals are placed be- 

 hind the pectorals. The mouth is extremely small, and 

 opens obliquely ; the intestines are without ca:'ca, I'olded 

 three or four times ; and the swimming bladder is of con- 

 siderable size. In Centriscus properly so called, the 

 anterior dorsal, which is placed very far forwards, has its 

 first spine long and strong, supported by an apparatus 

 connected with the shoulder and head. The species are 

 covered with small scales, and have several broad and 

 denticulated plates on the apparatus just mentioned. The 

 C. scolopax, or trumpet-fish, is a very common species in 

 the Mediterranean, about five inches long, and of a silvery 

 lustre. (See Plate CCCIV. fig. 7.) It occurs occasion- 

 ally on the south-western coasts of England. In the 

 sub-genus Amphisile, the back is defended with large 

 scaly pieces, of which the anterior spine and the first dor- 

 sal have the appearance of being a continuation. All the 

 species hitherto known to us are from the Indian seas : 

 we may mention as examples, Centriscus scutaliis, Linn., 

 and Centriscus velitaris, Pallas. 



We here terminate our abstract of the Acanihop- 

 TERYGii, or first great order or division of the ordinary 

 fishes. 



The second division of common fishes, or that named 

 Malacopterygii, contains within itself three orders, 

 which admit of being characterised by the position of the 

 ventrals, or, in certain cases, by their absence. 



ORDER II.'— MALACOPTERYGII ABDOMINALES. 



These are distinguished by having their ventrals sus- 

 pended to the under part of the abdomen, and behind the 

 pectorals, without any attachment to the shoulder bone. 

 This is the most numerous of the three orders, and in- 

 cludes a large proportion of the fresh-water fishes. It is 

 divisible into five families. 



FAMILY L— CYPRINID^. 



May be known by having the mouth but slightly cleft, 

 the jaws weak and generally without teeth, and their edge 

 formed by the inter-maxillaries ; by pharyngeals strongly 

 toothed, thus compensating for the imperfect armature of 

 the jaws ; and by the branchial rays being few in num- 



nales. 

 Cvprinida 



ber. Their body is scaly, and there is no adipose dorsal, Malaccip- 

 such as is observed in Siluri and salmon. Their stomach terygii 

 has no cul-de-sac, and the pylorus is without caecal ap- Abdomi- 

 pendages. They are the least carnivorous of fishes. 



The typical genus Cyprinus is a very natural one, and 

 comprehends a great number of species, which are readi- 

 ly distinguished by the small mouth, toothless jaws, and 

 the three flat branchial rays. Their tongue is smooth, and 

 the palate provided with a soft and singularly irritable 

 substance, vulgarly known by the name of Carps tongue. 

 The pharynx presents a powerful instrument for mastica- 

 tion, consisting of large teeth attached to the inferior 

 pharyngeal bones, and ca|)able of pressing the food be- 

 tween them, and a stony disk enclosed in a wide cavity 

 under an apophysis of the basilary bone. These fishes have 

 only one dorsal, and the body is covered with scales, most 

 frequently of large size. They inhabit fresh waters, and 

 are perhaps the least carnivorous of their class, subsisting 

 chiefly on grains, grass, and even on mud. Their stomach 

 is continuous, with a short intestine without ceeca, and 

 the bladder is divided into two by a constriction. 



The genus Cvprinus,-' Cuv. including the Carps pro- 

 perly so called, has a long dorsal, which, as well as the 

 anal, has a spine for the second ray. Of these, some have 

 barbels at the angles of the upper jaw, and others are 

 destitute of these appendages. Of the former we may 

 cite as an example the common carp ; and the gold fish of 

 China affords an instance of the latter. 



Cyprinus carpio, the common carp. This well-known 

 fish is of an olive-green, yellowish beneath, having the 

 anal and dorsal spines strong and denticulated, and the 

 barbels short ; the pharyngeal teeth are flat and striated 

 on the crown. It is a native of the central countries of 

 Europe ; but, owing to its value as an article of food, it 

 was early distributed by human agency over the whole of 

 that Continent. The ease with which it can be transport- 

 ed from one place to another, and its speedy growth and 

 propagation in ponds and artificial reservoirs, afforded 

 great facilities for its rapid dispersion. The year 1614 is 

 assigned as the date of its first introduction into England ; 

 but it was naturalized in Germany and Sweden nearly 

 half a century before that period. It delights in tranquil 

 waters, preferring such as have a muddy bottom, and 

 the surface partially shaded with plants. Its food consists 

 of the larvae of aquatic insects, minute Testacea, worms, 

 and the tender blades and shoots of plants. The leaves 

 of lettuce, and other succulent plants of a similar kind, are 

 said to be particularly agreeable to them, and to fatten 

 them sooner than any other food. Although the carp 

 eats with great voracity when its supply of aliment is 

 abundant, — to such a degree, indeed, as sometimes to pro- 

 duce indigestion, which occasionally proves fatal, — it can 

 subsist for an astonishing length of time without nourish- 

 ment. In the winter, when they assemble in great num- 

 bers, and bury themselves among the mud and the roots of 

 plants, they often remain for many months without eat- 

 ing. They can also be preserved alive for a considerable 

 length of time out of the water, especially if care be taken 

 to moisten them occasionally as they become dry. Ad- 

 vantage is often taken of this circumstance to transport 

 them alive, by packing them among damp herbage, or 

 wet linen ; and the operation is said to be unattended with 

 any risk to the animal, especially if the precaution be 

 taken to put a piece of bread in its mouth steeped in bran- 

 dy ! In a similar way, the Dutch preserve them by sus- 

 pending them from the roof of a damp apartment in a 

 bag-net filled with moss, which is continually kept moist, 



' Of tlie general Class of Fishes. 



' The name is of Grecian origin, and was applied to the species because they were dedicated to Venus, in consequence of their 

 extraordinary fecundity. 



