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THE LITTLE SILVER-SPOTS. 



A LITTLE fish first made known by Pennant with the name 

 of Sheppy Argentine, is the only British species that has with 

 certainty been recognised, of a rather numerous family, which 

 in some of its characters shews an affinity to the Salmon tribe; 

 but in others it is sufficiently separated froin it as to have led 

 observers to place them in a distinct family. They resemble 

 the Salmon in having the mystache or maxillary bones separate, 

 with teeth along the border; but all the teeth are very small, 

 and the less to be' observed as the fishes themselves are of 

 very small size. They are also marked with an adipose fin on 

 the back at some distance in front of the tail, but this is of 

 small size, so that by the first describer and other observers 

 its existence was not noticed; which circumstance is the more 

 easily to be explained, as under ordinary circumstances the fish 

 itself may so far become mutilated that so small an organ cannot 

 be discerned. It appears also, from my own observation, as of 

 some others, that on very close examination there have been 

 detected some minute rays in this fin; which circumstance 

 removes it still further from the family of the Salmon; in which 

 latter what is termed the adipose fin is rather an organ of 

 sensation than of action. In their usual appearance also the 

 fishes of this section are but distantly allied to the larger 

 fishes near which they have been classed; but there is a 

 curious conformation that belongs to them, of which the use 

 is not evident, but which may be considered a distinguishing 

 character of the class; and which consists of a regular 

 arrangement of round and shining dots along the lower border 

 of the body, from the opening of the gills to the tail; and 

 which do not possess the nature of scales. Indeed, in what 

 is to be regarded as a separate genus, there are no scales on 

 the body, and in no case dots or organs overlap each other 

 This family consists of abdominal fishes. 



