SHAW’S GENERAL ZOOLOGY. 
described by Dr. Ascanius from a spe- 
cimen, the length of which was ten feet, 
and its diameter about six inches; the 
diameter, as Dr. Shaw’s text informs us, 
being equal, through its whole length ; 
but in the figure annexed, the diameter 
sensibly diminishes from the anus ; and 
we presume that, when he speaks of its 
length, he means to include the whole 
fish from the extremity of the head to 
that of thetai]. ‘he construction of the 
ventral fins is extremely singular. The 
ventral fins, says Dr. Shaw, if they can 
be said to deserve the name, consist of a 
pair of extremely long single rays or pro- 
cesses, terminated by a small ovate ex- 
panded tip or finny extremity. Besides 
two varieties which may possibly prove 
distinct species, one drawn and describ- 
ed by Dr. Russel, from a specimen taken 
near Visagapatam, the other described 
by Dr. Shaw, from an imperfe& speci- 
men in the British Museum, two other 
species are added: the first, an excellent 
one, with a striking specific difference ; 
the other of a dubious kind, described 
and copied by Cepede, from a coloured 
Chinese drawing. It is destitute, says 
Dr. Shaw, of the ventral tins or appen- 
dages so remarkable in the other species. 
But if we may judge from the situation 
in which the fins are placed in the figure, 
we should rather consider it as having 
large ventral fins and no pectoral ones. 
On the accuracy of a Chinese drawing, 
there can, however, be no dependence. 
If the pectoral fins happened to be 
small, they would be passed over as un- 
worthy of notice, by an artist who could 
lave no idea of their importance ina 
scientific classification. It is, therefore, 
to be wished that no descriptions, taken 
solely froma drawing, should ever be 
admitted into a system of natural his- 
tory, unless they are known to have been 
made by a real naturalist. 
The genus vandellius contains only a 
single species, found very rarely in the 
Mediterranean and Atlantic seas, and 
considered by Dr. Vandell of Coimbra, 
as closely allied to the genus trichiurus. 
It is described from a specimen in the 
British Museum. 
~The only species of macrourus, at 
present known, has been detached from 
the genus coryphenus by. Dr. Bloch, 
partly on account of its head, which does 
not precisely answer to those of the co- 
rypheni, but chiefly on account of its 
long, gradually tapering tail, whence the 
generic name is formed. Jt differs also 
839 
in having two dorsal fins; but that cir 
cumstance is not of consequence enough 
to be admitted into the generic character. 
The genus gobiomorus was instituted 
by Cepede, and contains those species 
which differ trom the genuine gobies, in 
having the rays of the ventral fins sepa- 
rate, instead of being united, as in that 
genus, into a funnel. This dissimilarity 
suggested, we suppose, the latter part of 
the compound name, pps from peipw, 
divido: but in its present composition, it 
rather conveys the idea of a divided goby, 
than of a goby witha divided ventral 
fin; not to mention that jaopes is generally 
used by Greek authors to denote the 
portion assigned to any one by fate, 
sometimes the stroke of death, some- 
times judicial punishment, and some- 
times any calamity. ‘he Greek lan- 
guage certainly runs with great facility 
into expressive and pleasing compounds, 
and is therefore generally to be prefer- 
red in the formation of characteristic ge- 
neric names, but it does not follow that 
no Greek compound can be harsh or am- 
biguous. ‘The new genus in Dr. Shaw’s 
arrangement contains three of Gmelin’s 
gobies, and three others from Cepede ; 
but from two of these, that author has 
formed distinct genera, calling one go- 
biomoriodes, and the other gobiesox, be« 
cause the position of the dorsal and anal 
fins gives it in some respect the habit 
of a pike. The Count has a violent pas- 
sion for splitting genera. 
The genns acanthurus‘consists of such 
species of the Linnean genus chetodon, 
as, in contradiction to the principal cha- 
racter of that genus, have moderately 
broad and strong teeth, rather than slen- 
der, setaceous ones; they are also fur- 
nished on each side of the tail with a 
strong spine: this last particular has af- 
forded an excellent. generic name; the 
former rendered it absolutely necessary, 
either to change the generic character, 
or to eject these intruders, who do not 
correspond with it. 
From the same genus the solitary spe- 
cies of eques has also been separated by 
Dr. Bloch, on aecount of its teeth which 
are not disposed in a single row, but in 
several concentric ranges. The nature 
of the teeth themselves is not mention- 
ed in the description, but as from the 
figure they appear to resemble those of 
the acanch and as the manner in 
which they are arranged would have 
formed a good specific difference, there 
seems to us no sufficient reason for esta~ 
3H*4 
