SHAW’S GENERAL ZOOLOGY. 
ed from our view by shelving rocks and 
aquatic plants. In fact we know little of 
such as are most familar to us, besides 
their external form, their inward struc- 
ture, the arts which are employed to ef- 
fect their desttuction, and the gratifica- 
tion which they give to us when they are 
served up at our tables. How little, then, 
can we even hope to learn concerning 
the numerous kinds which are natives of 
the ocean !. The present volume affords 
a proof, that some of them constantly 
remain at its bottom, and can never be- 
come known to the naturalist, if they do 
not happen to be gorged by ravenous in- 
dividuals of other kinds, and if those in- 
dividuals do not rise to the surface and 
become the spoil of the fisherman before 
they have digested their own prey. 
~ Still, however, it is desirable that all 
which is actually known concerning 
them should be presented to us in a sci- 
entific form, and adorned with the graces 
of composition, as far as the nature of the 
subject will admit. Within the space of 
less than half a century, our acquaint- 
ance with nature has, indeed, been won- 
derfully increased bythe means of numer- 
ous voyages and travels to almost every 
part of the globe, made by professed na- 
turalists, who have taken with them 
equal capacity to distinguish and cu- 
riosity to explore. The discoveries and 
observations of these, Dr. Shaw has col- 
lected with his usual diligence and ex- 
actness; nor has he neglected to consult 
the writings of the best compilers and 
arrangers. ‘l’o the Count Cepede and 
Dr. Bloch he has been much indebted, 
and has made some happy alterations 
and improvements from the suggestions 
of his own experienced judgment. The 
Dresent volume, which like each of the 
ormer three, inconveniently consists of 
two distinct, and in the present case, very 
unequal segments, contains the natural 
history of the apodal, the jugular, and 
the thoracic fishes. The next volume, 
which is to be published early in the 
spring of 1804, will contain the abdo- 
minal and the cartilaginous ones, and 
will complete this part of the work. 
The detail of the several genera in 
each order, and species in each genus, 
is preceded by a general description of 
the external and internal parts of fishes, 
chiefly taken from the works of Dr. 
Monro, It is drawn up with distinct- 
ness and precision: but we cannot help 
expressing a wish, that for the sake of 
general readers, the anatomical terms 
835 
had been a little more familiarly explain- 
ed. This introduétion might also have 
been extended with advantage to an ac- 
count of such peculiarities in the general 
economy and manners of fishes as have 
been sufficiently ascertained. For though 
it aust be contessed that comparatively 
little is yet known concerning them, it is 
certain that much more might have been 
colle&ed than is to be found in the pre- 
sent work. Dr. Shaw’s Zoology has ac- 
quired a popular reputation which it will 
not support, if it do not unite entertain- 
ment with instruction, and please as 
much by the variety, as by the accuracy 
of its information. The account of the 
three principal, and as it should seem 
only acute organs of sense in this part of 
the animal creation will give general: sa- 
tisfaction. ‘ 
. 
« ‘The organ of smelling is large, and 
the animals have a power of contracting 
and dilating the entry to it as they have 
occasion: it seems to be mostly by their 
acute smell that they discover their food, 
for their tongue seems not to have been 
designed for a very nice sensation, being 
of a pretty firm cartilaginous substance ; 
and common experience evinces that 
their sight is not of so much use to them 
as their smell, in searching for their nou- 
rishment. . If you throw a fresh worm 
into the water, a fish shall distinguish it 
at a considerable distance ; and that this 
is not done by the eye is plain, from ob- 
serving that after the same worm has 
been a considerable time in the water, and 
lost its smell, no fishes will come near it, 
butif you take out the bait, and make se- 
veral little incisions into it, so as to let out 
more of the odoriferous effluvia, it shall 
have the same eifect as formerly. Now 
it is certain that had the animals dis- 
covered this bait with their eyes, they 
would have come equally to it in both 
cases. In consequence of their smell 
being the principal means they have of 
discovering their food, we may frequent- 
ly observe them allowing themselves to 
be carried down with the stream, that 
they may ascend again leisurely against 
the current of the water ; thus the odori- 
ferous particles swimming in that me- 
dium, being applied more forcibly to 
their organ of smell, produce a stronger 
sensation. ‘I‘he optic nerves in fishes are 
not confounded with one another in 
their middle progress betwixt their ori- 
gin and the orbit, but the one passes over 
the other without any communication ; 
$H2 
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