VENTRAL FINS. 113 



the harlequin-angler, they are more like a kind of 

 feet than fins; so much so, that in the original 

 delineation of this animal by Margrave, in his de- 

 scription of Brazilian Fishes, it is represented as 

 squatting on these fins, almost in the manner of a 

 frog or toad upon its haunches. M. Renaud in- 

 deed, in his History of Fishes, tells us, that he 

 knew an instance of this fish living for three days 

 out of the water ; and, in the mean time, trotting 

 about the house, on these fins, like a dog upon its 

 legs ! The ventral fins are, like the pectoral, of a 

 comparatively large size in rays, which, unlike those 

 fishes which rely most upon the motions of their 

 tail for progression, have their pelvis attached to 

 their caudal vertebrae ; and these fins, accordingly, 

 co-operate with their pectoral fins in perfecting the 

 rhomboidal form which their flat body so generally 

 presents. The ventral fins are very often entirely 

 wanting in fishes. This is the case with the eel 

 tribe^ Avhich, from this circumstance, are called by 

 Linnseus Apodal fishes, or fishes destitute of feet. 



The ventral fins of fishes in general lie commonly 

 flat in the water, in whatever position the animal 

 may be, and perhaps conduce rather to depress the 

 belly than to efi'ect any other specific purpose : they 

 may likewise co-operate with the pectoral fins in 

 preserving the balance, as well as between one side 

 of the body and the other, as between its anterior 

 and posterior portion. In some fishes, as the lump 

 (Cyclopterus lumpus)^ there is formed of the 

 united ventral fins a kind of sucker, by means of 



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