VI PREFACE. 



ber of British Fishes amounted to 171 ; a number 

 which, in Mr. Yarrell's admirable work on the 

 same subject, published in 1835, had increased by 

 nearly one-half, amounting to 238 ; and, within 

 the few years which elapsed between the first and 

 second Edition of this treatise, 15 more have been 

 added to the list ; so that now the number amounts 

 to no fewer than 253 distinct species. 



To attempt, within our prescribed limits, to give 

 an account of so many different kinds of Fishes, 

 would necessarily convert our treatise into little 

 more than a dry catalogue or dictionary of names. 

 Hence the plan, which we have been led to 

 adopt, is the following: — Availing ourselves of 

 Baron Cuvier's arrangement, which so generally 

 prevails, and finding that the British species, when 

 arranged into genera, amount in number, accord- 

 ing to Mr. Yarrell's last Edition, to 126; and that 

 these genera, when again grouped into families, 

 reach the number of 30, we propose to occupy the 

 Body of the Work with a distinct consideration of 

 these several families, including their genera and spe- 

 cies, assigning to each, as far as we can, its relative 

 share of space and attention. In our Introduction, 

 we supply a brief account of the more striking dis- 

 coveries recently made, concerning the Structure, 

 Functions, and Habits of Fishes, together with those 



