50 



TJMBRTNA. . . 



CtrviER remarks, that in external characters, the family of which 

 the genus Umhrina forms a part, displays but little difference from 

 that of the Perches, among which fishes a portion of them have 

 been arranged by some authors. Nor are the distinctions easily made, 

 although they have been sufficiently well marked to influence the 

 decision of Cuvier himself, as well as of other leading naturalists; 

 whose arrangement we follow the more readily as the species of these 

 scicnoid fishes — which are so called from Scicena, another of the 

 genera belonging to this family — that wander to our coast, are but few, 

 and of uncertain and rare occurrence. 



The fishes of the genus Umhrina have the body compressed and 

 somewhat lengthened; the upper jaw overtopping the lower, furnished 

 with fine teeth, with none on the palate. The head covered with 

 small scales, the body with scales of larger size. Cheeks without 

 plates, but the covers moderately armed and serrated. Two dorsal 

 fins; a short and thick barb beneath the lower jaw. This genus 

 ranks with the thoracic fishes of Linnsous. 



UMBRINA. 



Umbra, Gesnek's Nomenclator Piscium, p. 53. 



Scicena or Umbra, Jonston. He adds the Glaucus, of Belon. 



Umbr'mo, "Willouguby; p. 299, Tab. S. 21. 



Scicena cirrhosa, Linnaeus. 

 Umhrina cirrhosa, and 



vulgaris, Cuvier. Tarrell; British Fishes, vol. i, 

 p. 109. 



Perseqiie iimhre, Lacepede. Kisso. Jenyns; Man., p. 353. 



" " Gunther; Cat. Br. M., vol. ii, p. 274. 



This fish is well known through the whole lengtli of the 

 Mediterranean, and from the coast of Spain is met Avith so iav 

 south as the West Indies; bnt it seems to avoid colder climates, 

 and has only once been recognised in the British Islands. In 

 the Minutes of the Proceedings of the Linneean Society for 

 1827, November 20th. ^ (vol. xvi,) a letter was read from John 

 Cresswell, Esq., F.L.S., giving the information that a fish 



