286 



ICHTHYOLOGY. 



Classifica- under the symphysis, and two small pores in advance of it. Villi- 

 tion — form teeth on the jaws, with some bigger than the rest in the outer 

 Acanthop- row (but much less so than in Dintex, which, moreover, has an en- 

 terouB tire preoperculum). Operculum ending in two flat obtuse angular 

 Fishes, projections, which do not show through the membrane; and the gill- 

 V ^ ^ ^ cover is sometimes quite rounded. Palate without teeth j tongue 

 smooth and free. Seven branchiostegals, the last three slender. No 

 denticulations on the suprascapula. A triangular scaly appendage 

 in the axilla of the ventrals; dorsal moderately notched; caudal 

 forked, and covered with small scales like those on the soft parts of 

 the dorsal and anal. Scales of the body large, finely ctenoid ; none 

 on the lips or snout before the eyes. Stomach ca^cal, small, and 

 pointed ; seven pancreatic ca^ca ; a long simple air-bladder. Four- 

 teen species. 



Genus XIX. Pristipoma, Cuv. Resembling Hcemulon in most 

 characters, and in the mandibular pores, but having a more bulging 

 snout, smaller mouth, less moveable mandible, and no scales on the 

 dorsal or anal. Operculum ending in a smootli point, hidden under 

 the skin. Villiform teeth, with the exterior row generally stronger. 

 (Distinguished from Viagramma by the latter having four or six 

 large pores on the mandible, and from Lobotes by the presence of 

 mandibular pores and of seven branchiostegals.) Forty species. 



Genus XX. Diagramma, Cuv. Wants the symphysial pit on 

 the mandible, which exists in Pristipoma, but has the two small 

 pores, and in addition, two large pores on each limb of the bone. 

 Fins as in Pristipoma, together with the denticulated preoperculum, 

 and the operculum destitute of a spine. Twenty-two species. 



Genus XXI. Prionodus, Jenyns. Aspect of Serranus, but 

 without the palatine and vomerine teeth. It enters the group of 

 Hcemulon, Pristipoma, and Diagrainma, from all of which it is dis- 

 tinguished by the want of pores under the mandibular symphysis. 



Genus X.\1I. Pristipomoides, Bleek. Single, undivided, 

 dorsal fin. Branchiostegals seven. Dorsal and anal without scales; 

 caudal scaly. No conspicuous mandibular pores. Lateral jaw teeth 

 aniserial; anterior ones pluriserial ; the internal ones minute and 

 setaceous ; the external row formed of two to four larger conisal 

 canines. Preoperculum denticulated. Sumatra. 



Genus XXIII. Cheilotkema, Tschudi. Upper lip protractile, 

 with eight pores. Mandible with five pores. Operculum toothed ; 

 preoperculum having two spines. Peru. 



SPAROIDS. 

 The Histoire des Poissons contains the following table 

 of the genera : — 



TABLE OP GENERA. 



Teeth in part conical or molar. 

 Cheeks scaly. 

 Sargos, Char ax, Chrysophkts, Pagrus, Pagellus, 

 Dentex, Pentapus. 

 Cheeks scaleless. 

 Lethrinus. 

 Teeth wholly villiform, 



Canthakus. 

 Trenchant teeth, no molars. 



Box, Oblata, Scatharus, Ceenidens. 



By their dentition they may be arranged in tribes in the follow- 

 ing order : — 



Tribe l. — Ronnd molars and trenchant front teeth. 



Sargus, Charax, Chrysophrys, Pagrus, Pagellus. 

 Tribe II, — Conical teeth with canines, 



Lethrinus, Dentex, Pentapus. 

 Tribe III.— Teeth all villiform. 



Cantharus. 



Tribe IV. — Trenchant jaw teeth, with or without villiform 

 bands. 

 Box, Oblata. 



The Sargi in general feed on shells and the smaller 

 Crustacea, which they easily crush with their molar teeth, 

 but Cuvier found fuci in the stomachs of some brought 

 from the Red Sea and the Atlantic. .(Elian and Oppian 

 inform us that the male is polygamous, and fights with great 

 fury with his own sex for the possession of many females. 

 The same authors attribute to it a feeling still more extra- 

 ordinary, — a lively passion for goats, whicli it exhibits by 

 always swimming with great rapidity towards those animals, 

 and indulging in playful gambols before them. So blind 

 was this passion, that a fisherman (it was so alleged) might 



teroua 

 Fishes. 



catch as many as he pleased by disguising himself with the Classifies, 

 skin and horns of a goat, and scattering in the water flour tion— 

 steepetl in goats' broth. Acanthop- 



Tlie best-known species inhabits the Mediterranean. It 

 is the S. Rondeletii of Cuv. The American shores pro- , 

 duce several others, one of which {S. oris) is called the 

 Sheep's-head by the Americans. Dr Mitchell speaks in the 

 most eulogistic terms of the superexcellence of its flesh, and 

 of the high esteem in w hich it is held at the tables of New 

 York. It yields in his opinion to few fishes, and is worthy 

 of being served at the most sumptuous entertainments. 

 The price varies from a dollar to a dollar and a half for a 

 middle-sized individual, and above that size the price ranges 

 even so high as from L.4 to L.7 sterling. They sometimes 

 weigh fiom 14 to 15 lbs. The fishery of this species forms 

 an object of importance along the coasts of the state of 

 New York. It approaches those of Long Island in the hot 

 season (iom the month of June till the middle of Septem- 

 ber, after which it seems to seek retirement in the deep 

 abysses of the ocean. As they swim in troops, they may 

 be advantageously fished for with the net, and many Imn- 

 dreds are sometimes taken at a single cast. With the great 

 nets used at Rayner Town, and the two islands, thousands 

 are drawn ashore. They are immediately packed in ice, 

 and despatched during the cool of the night to the markets 

 of New York. It is difficult to take the Sheep's-head with 

 a line, because it contrives to snap the very hooks asunder 

 with its cutting teeth. 



The species of Chri/sophris are numerous, and extended 

 through many seas. Those of the Mediterranean are only 

 two in number, and are called Daiirades by the French, 

 no doubt from the Latin Aiirata, a term applied to them 

 by ancient authors. The Greeks named them Chrysophris, 

 which signifies golden eye-brow, in allusion to the brilliant 

 spot of gold which the common species bears between its 

 eyes. That the Auratn of the Latins was identical with 

 the Chrysophris of the Greeks, may be inferred from a 

 passage in Pliny, which is obviously borrowed from Aris- 

 totle, and where the former word is used as the translation 

 of the latter. According to Columella, the Aurata was 

 among the number of the fishes brought up by the Romans 

 in ihew vivaria ; and the inventor of these vivaria, one Ser- 

 gius Orata, is supposed to have derived his surname from the 

 fish in question. iElian tells us that the Chrysophris is the 

 most timid of all fishes, and that branches of poplars planted 

 in the sand so terrified a party of these fishes which had been 

 carried upwards by the flood, that in the succeeding reflux 

 they did not dare to pass the poplars, but allowed themselves 

 to be taken by the hand. The Chrysophris aurata, or Gilt- 

 head, seldom quits the vicinity of the shore, and grows ex- 

 tremely fat in the salt ponds. We owe to Duhamel what- 

 ever information we possess regarding its habits. The fish- 

 ermen informed that author that it agitates the sand forcibly 

 with its tail, so as to discover the shell-fish which may lie 

 beneath concealed. It is extremely fond of mussels, and its 

 near presence is sometimes ascertained by the noise which 



Fig. IM. 

 Crenidens tephrceops. 



it makes while breaking their shells with its teeth. It greatly 



