Dr L. Mandl en the Scales of Fishes. 117 



has seen, as well as Reaumur, the sih^ery matter composed of 

 small angular corpuscules, among which are likewise found 

 others of a black, shining, and angular appearance. 



Kuntzmann ( Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft naturforschen- 

 der Frennde in Berlin ; Berlin 1824, p. 269 ; 1829, p. 369) 

 has published only the first part of a very extensive work on 

 the scales of fishes, which, however, aims at no other object 

 than the description of their difl^erent forms. The author 

 cannot succeed in his researches, because, from his ignorance 

 of the true organization of scales, he must misinterpret their 

 structure, and even misunderstand their forms ; but he is the 

 first, as far as we know, who has advanced the opinion that 

 their forms may aiford distinctive characters in the diflFerent 

 families. It is to be regretted that he has not followed out 

 this idea, and that he has preferred to classify scales according 

 to their form, a classification which is not satisfactory. Kuntz- 

 mann has made his observations on scales in a dry state ; he 

 believes, with Reaumur, that the growth takes place not only 

 at the edges but throughout the whole extent of the scale. 

 The following arc the different classes of scales according to 

 this author : — «, membranous ; these present no distinct con- 

 centric lines (Gadus lota) ; b, semi-membranous ; the poste- 

 rior part as in the preceding, the anterior marked with lines 

 (Clnpea harengus) ; c, simple, which pi-esent only concentric 

 lines, without longitudinal ones (Salmo salar) ; d, with a re-' 

 gular design, for example, Murena anguilla ; e, with four dis- 

 tinct fields, for instance, Cyprinus carpio ; /, bristly (Scor- 

 paenaj ; the author thinks that the bristles are placed on the 

 membrane which envelopes the scale ; they may be made to 

 fall off by macei'ation ; g, spiny (Ferca lucioperca) ; the spines 

 are a true continiiation of the scale, and maceration does not 

 make them fall off. The two latter classes are divided in like 

 manner into fields 



We shg-ll afterwards see wliat errors attach to this classifi- 

 cation ; thus the concentric lines exist in the first class in the 

 form of cells, and it is only their transparency that prevented 

 M. Kuntzmann perceiving them, although he adds that he 

 saw irregidar ones on the dried scales. Neither does any dif- 

 ference exist, as the author imagines, between the scales of 



