836 
so that the nerve which comes from the 
left side of the brain goes distinetly to 
the right eye, and vice versa; indeed it 
should seem not to be necessary for the 
optic nerves of fishes to have thé same 
kind of connexion with each other, as 
those of man have ; for their eyes are 
not placed in the fore-part, but in the 
sides of the head ; and consequently they 
cannot look so conveniently at any ob- 
ject with both eyes at the same time. 
“The crystalline lens in fishes isa com- 
plete sphere, and more dense than in ter- 
restrial animals, that the rays of light 
coming from the water might be sufii- 
ciently refracted. 
“ As fishes are continually exposed to 
injuries in the uncertain element in which 
they reside, and as they are in perpetual 
danger of becoming a prey to the larger 
ones, it was necessary that their eyes 
should never be shut; and as the cornea 
is sufficiently washed by the element they 
live in, they are not provided with palpe- 
bre: but, as inthe current itself the eye 
‘must be exposed to several injuries, there 
‘was anccessity that it should be suffi- 
ciently defended ; which, in effect, it is, 
by a firm, pellucid membrane, seeming 
to be a continuation of the cuticula 
stretched over it; the epidermis is very 
proper for this purpose, as being insen- 
sible, and destitute of vessels, und con- 
sequently not liable to obstructions, and 
thus becoming opake. Inthe eye of the skate 
tribe there is a digitated curtain which 
hangs over the pupil, and which may 
shut out the light when the animal rests, 
being somewhat similar to the tunica ad- 
nata of other animals. 
« Altho’ it was formerly much doubt- 
ed whether fishes possessed the sense of 
hearing, yet there can be little doubt of 
it now ; since it is found that they have 
a complete organ of hearing, as well as 
other animals, and likewise that the wa- 
ter in which they live is proved to be a 
good medium. Fishes, particularly of 
the skate kind, have a’ bag at some dis- 
tance behind the eyes, which contains a 
fluid and a soft cretaceous substance, 
and supplies the place of the vestibule 
and cochlea: there isa nerve distribut- 
ed upon it, similar to the portio mollis in 
man; they have semicircular canals, 
which are filled with a fluid, and’com- 
municate with the bag, they have like- 
wise a meatus externus, which leads to 
the internal ear. The cod-fish, and others 
of the same shape, have an organ of 
hearing somewhat’ similar to the former, 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
but instead of 2 soft substance contained 
in the bag, there is a hard cretaceous 
stone.’’ 
Weare sorrytobe compelledto observe, 
that through the whole work, as well as in 
the preceding quotation, there are nume- 
rous instances of negligence, in some of 
which it is impossible to reconcile the 
construction with the rules of grammar. 
Three of these we have printed in italics. 
The first sentence of the last paragraph 
but one is particularly ill formed. 
In the order Apodes, Dr. Shaw has in- 
troduced ten genera, in addition to the 
eight which appear in the 12th edition 
of the Systema Nature ; Angus Syn- 
branchus, Sphagebranchus, Monopterus, 
Odontognathus, Comephorus, Triurus, 
Leptocephalus, Stylephorus, and Ster- 
noptyx. 
Linnezus included in his genus Mu- 
rena, not only the celebrated Roman 
murzna which has no pectoral fins, but 
also the common English eel, and seve- 
ral others which are furnished with them. 
Gmelin has unaccountably followed him 
in this disposition, as far as the murena 
romana and colubrina are concerned, 
though there actually appears in his edi- 
tion of the Systema Nature, a new ge- 
nus expressly formed for four species 
not known to Linnaus, all distinguished 
by the want of pectoral fins. Bloch has 
adopted his genus, and has very properly 
added to it the Roman murena. but 
through a strange want of judgment, has 
called the eel and its congeners, murena, 
a name by which they have never been 
known in any age or country of. the 
world, and has retained Gmelin’s gene- 
ri¢ name, gymnothorax, for the murzna 
and its true congeners, whovare destitute . 
of’ pectoral fins. It cannot be denied 
that the latter namé happily expresses the 
essential generic character, but we much 
doubt whether, on that account, a name 
should be ejected which has been for 
ages in peaceable possession, and has, 
moreover, the sanction of classic autho- 
rity. Dr. Shaw, with a due regard to 
prescriptive right, has reinstated the an- 
cient name, and has also restored to the 
proper eels their ancient designation, an- 
cuilla: but we think that he should have 
placed the genus mura before that of 
anguilla, as a better connecting link with 
the serpents.in the preceding class. To 
the’ Linnezan anguille he has'made no 
addition, but has fallen into two unfor- 
tunate oversights in copying from the 
