ICHTHYOLOGY. 



237 



Classifica- "^^i" spawning time, occupying much space in the belly, as do 



tlon Ma- '''so ^'"s "'^'"^ organs (melt). The air-bladder is always large, and 



lacopteri. '"'s a slender tube by which it communicates with the apex of the 

 ^ t ca?cal cone of the stomach, or in some species with the dorsal side 



^ of the stomach or oesophagus; sometimes the air-bladder divides 



into two long conical processes posteriorly, but this is rare ; in all, 

 its anterior end is simple and generally pointed, and does not pass 

 before the centre of the first spinal vertebra, nor are there any 

 ossicles intervening between its point and the acoustic capsule, as 

 in the Carps ; neither has the air-bladder of the Clupeidce any com- 

 munication with the interior of the skull. 



ANALYTICAL TABLE OF THE CLVPEIDJB (Dum.) 



Mouth large. 



Anal separated from the co,udal. 



Ventrals conspicuous | ^^ Engraulis ) ^-■ 



Ventrals none, or scarcely visible Odontoqnathus 14. 



Anal coalescent with the caudal CoiLIA 13. 



Mouth of moderate size, or small. 

 Tei'th visible on the jaw.'!. 



Teeth on all the oral bones Uogenia 6. 



Teeth on the upper jaiv and mandible | p,.,pp, ) i 



only I / 



Teeth on the upper jaw, mandible, and f k„«, . , , In 



pterygoids \ j 



Teeth on the tongue onhr Meletta 10. 



Teeth on the tongue and palatines Spratrlla 8. 



Teeth on the tongue and pterygoids Clupeonia 7. 



No teeth on nng of the oral bones. 



Dorsal witli all the rays connected Alausa 11. 



Dorsal with one isolated ray Chatoesscs 1.5. 



No teeth on the vomer, nor jaws, but on ( ^ 1 ^ 



the other bones \ J 



No teeth on the vomer only. 



Anal short, far back IIarengula 3. 



Anal long. 



Ventrals none PristigaSTER 5. 



Ventrals present Pellona 4, 



GENU.S I. Clupea, Ouv. Small pre-raaxillary teeth ; crenatures 

 on the maxillary so fine as to be discoverable rather by the touch 

 than by the siglit ; fine teeth also on the symphysial portion of the 

 mandible which projects farther forward than the upper jaw; a 

 longitudinal band of larger teeth on the vomer ; a similar one on 

 the tongue ; two or three very small deciduous teeth on the external 

 edge of the palatines. Body elongated ; back rounded ; belly more 

 or less compressed or trenchant according to the size the roe or 

 melt has attained. Sixteen species. 



GENU.S II. Sardinella, Valenc. Teeth on the palatines, en- 

 toptervgoid, and tongue ; none on the vomer, pre-maxillaries, 

 maxillaries, or mandible. Specific characters derived from the 

 forms of the gill-cover or other external part. Seven species. 



Genus III. IIarengula, Valenc. Teeth on the jaws, tongue, 

 palatines, and entopterygoids ; no vomerine teeth. Ten species. 



Genus IV. Pellona, Valenc. Dentition of IIarengula. Body 

 very much compressed. Ventrals before the dorsal; anal long 

 and low; edge of the belly strongly denticulated. Pectorals pointed, 

 their first ray strong, though jointed, and long. Sixteen species. 



Genus V. Pristigastek, i'uv. Apodal Pellonce. Air-bladder 

 various : large and forked behind in some species. Four species. 



Genus VI. Rooenia, Valenc. Teeth on the vomer, palatines, 

 entopterygoids, and tongue ; teeth also on the jaws, but scarcely 

 visible. 



Genus VII. Chjpeonia, Valenc. Teeth on the tongue and en- 

 topterygoids only ; jaws, vomer, and palatines edentate. Five 

 species. 



Genus VIII. Spratella, Valenc. Teeth on the palatines and 

 tongue only. Two species. 



Genus IX. Kowala, Valenc. Teeth on the jaws and entop- 

 terygoids only ; none on the tongue, vomer, or palatines. Form 

 of Spratella. Two species. 



Genus X. Meletta, Valenc. A rough band on the tongue; 

 no other teeth. Ten species. 



Genus XI. Alausa, Valenc. Teeth on the jaws deciduous and 

 very small; no other teeth; a notch in the upper jaw. Air- 

 bladder simple, pointed at both ends, and not extending before the 

 third vertebra; air duct entering the conical point of the cajcal 

 stomach. Twenty-two species. 



In tlie preceding genera the mandible is longer than the upper jaw. 

 Genus XII. Enguaulis, Valenc. Mouth large, snout pro- 

 jecting. jS'asal bone advancing before the jaws, concealing the 

 small pre-maxillaries ; maxillaries slender, not prolonged behind the 

 mouth; vomer, palatines, and entopterygoids narrow, sustaining 



teeth sometimes very small. Gill-openings large. The species Classifica- 



may be divided into two groups, by the elongation of the upper ray tion Ma- 



of the pectoral, or by the absence of that character. Twenty-three lacopteri 

 species. ^ y 



Genus XIII. Coilia, Gray. Maxillaries large, their posterior ^^^ 



ends passing the gill-opening. Dorsal far forward ; upper rays of 

 the pectoral prolonged into slender filaments, and divided nearly 

 to their base. Tail generally much compressed and tapering to a 

 point, with a long low anal united to the caudal : there is an ex- 

 ception to this character in a species which has the tail abbreviated, 

 and the caudal wide and rounded. In other respects the genus 

 corresponds with Engraulis, Six species. 



Genus XIV. Odontognatiius, Lac. (Qnathobolus, fiohn.) Body 

 greatly compressed ; belly trenchant and very strongly denticu- 

 lated, from the throat to the anus. No ventrals; dorsal very small, 

 far back on the tail ; anal very long and low, extending to near the 

 forked caudal ; pectorals moderately long. Mouth small ; mandible 

 passing the upper jaw, which is truncated, with the small pre-max- 

 illaries lying transversely ; maxillaries long, wide in the middle, 

 projecting backwards beyond the mandibular joint. Teeth on the 

 jaws, palatines, entojiterygoids, and tongue ; none on the vomer. 

 One species. 



Genus XV. Chatoessus, Cuv. Mouth small, edentate; pre- 

 maxillaries small, with a medial notch which receives the sym- 

 physial apex of the mandible and a fibrous lip, that runs backwards 

 from it along the whole edge of the maxillary, the latter articulated 

 to the nasal behind the pre-maxillaries ; first branchial arch uniting 

 above the pharynx with its fellow, and sending a curious pectinated 

 branch forwards beneath the roof of the mouth. Body in general 

 high, oval, and short; belly strongly denticulated. Pectorals and 

 ventrals small ; first ray of the dorsal frequently prolonged. Sto- 

 mach muscular; pyloric caaca very numerous, united by cellular 

 tissue into a glandular mass, which fills great part of the belly ; ova 

 not inclosed in a sac, but dropping into the general cavity of the 

 abdomen. Twelve species. 



Genus XVI. Amblogaster, Bleeker. Small pre-maxillaries; 

 the maxillaries constituting most of the upper half of the mouth. 

 Body elongated, compressed; belly rounded, without serratures. 

 No teeth. Head naked above ; eyes half covered by a membrane ; 

 cheeks venous; five branchiostegals. Indian Ocean. 



SALMON FAMILY. 



The progress of Ichthyology in the last half century has 

 been rapid, as might be expected of a science which had 

 been previously greatly neglected, but whose importance 

 was at length acknowledged. The old generic groups of 

 fishes were first characterized as families, and afterwards 

 having, by the cUscovery of new forms diverging more or less 

 from the characters of the typical species, and having, 

 moreover, been foimd in many instances, by the more 

 correct investigations into their structure that were insti- 

 tuted, to include heterogeneous assemblages, were broken 

 up into several genera, families, or even into groups of a 

 higher order. The genus Salmo of Artedi is an example 

 of this. That ichthyologist included in this group all fish 

 which have fi-om twelve to nineteen branchiostegals, teeth 

 on the jaws, and a dorsal standing over the ventrals, with 

 an adipose fin on the tail. Linnaeus modified this classifi- 

 cation somewhat, and at length three great families have 

 grown out of the single genus Salmo, one including all 

 the Salmonoids, with the cheeks or the whole head covered 

 with scaleless integument, being the group comprised in our 

 table under the name of Salmoniilie. The Cliaracini, a 

 second fiiniily of fishes formerly associated with the Salmon, 

 is characterized by the small nimiber of its branchiostegals, 

 a very small mouth, great variety of dentition, almost always 

 in many rows, but rarely with any on the tongue, and with 

 a divided air-bladder. The Scopelido' is the third family of 

 this stock, being distinguished from the others by the 

 maxillaries not forming part of the orifice of the mouth. 

 Some smaller detachments have also been made, as the 

 Eri/ttiri)iid(e and Mticrodons. 



Salmo, Cuv. The fishes which constitute this genus 

 are of great importance, and are by far the most esteemed 

 and valuable of all those which inhabit the fresh waters. 

 The value of the fisheries, with the number of men en- 

 gaged in them, is very great, and the expense of the mate- 



