on some Species of British Quadrupeds, Birds, and Fishes. ?<)l 



THORACIC FISH. 



Cf.pola kcbescexs. 



Gmel.Si/sf. hi. p. 1187- 

 Titrt. Linn. i. p. 739. 



Tab. XVII. 



Long, slender, smooth, subpcllucid, somewhat compressed side- 

 ways, tapering from the head gradually to the tail: head not 

 larger than the body, sloping from the eye to the end of the upper 

 jaw: the under jaw longest, sloping upwards; mouth large; both 

 jaws furnished with one row of distant, subulate, curved teeth at 

 their very edge, the front ones projecting forward : eyes laroe, 

 placed high up in the head; irides silvery mixed with crimson ; 

 pupil blue-black; gill coverts composed of two plates; branchi- 

 ostegous rays four: pectoral fins small, rounded, consisting of 

 sixteen rays: ventral small, oval, with six rays; the first short and 

 spiny, with a filament adjoining longer than the other rays, and 

 detached from them ; these fins are close together, and rather be- 

 fore than immediately under the pectorals : the dorsal fin com- 

 mences just behind the head, immediately above the openino- of 

 the gills, and continues without a division to join the tail, con- 

 sisting of about seventy rays: the anal fin commences just behind 

 the vent, which is scarce an inch from the ventral fins, and conti- 

 nues, like the dorsal, to join the tail; this has about sixty-one 

 rays : the caudal fin is lanceolate, the middle ray being much the 

 longest and gradually shortening on each side, till the distinction 

 is lost in the dorsal and anal fins, and is composed of about twelve 

 rays: the tongue is short, and with the palate is smooth; lateral 

 line a little curved near the head, and afterwards runs quite 



2 p '2 straight 



