124 Dr L. Mandi on the Scales of Fishes. 



There is only one way to remedy this abuse, that is to study 

 true natural characters, to observe attentively the series they 

 constitute, and to make a rigorous application of them in the 

 classification of animals. Scales appear to us to offer one 

 of these natural characters for the classification of fishes. 

 The intimate connection subsisting between the tegumentary 

 appendages and the organization of the animal, of which we 

 iiave already spoken in the former chapter, affords a very 

 strong argument in favour of our opinion. We do not wish 

 to rest our case on the reason that, because fishes can live 

 Avhen deprived of their fins, but not when deprived of their 

 scales, it therefore follows that scales have a greater physio- 

 logical value than fins. Such an argument would be too im- 

 perfect and inconclusive. 



The physiological importance of scales has but little to do 

 \vith our present purpose : we only want to know, in this case, 

 whether they can afford a distinctive character between dif- 

 ferent individuals. Now, scales preserve the same form, not 

 only in the same individual, but in all the individuals of the 

 same species ; they are essentially different in individuals of 

 another family ; they constitute different series of form, series 

 which are very distinct in themselves, but the members of 

 which offer all the degrees of transition which unite them to 

 each other. Scales may therefore serve as a natural charac- 

 ter in the description and classification of fishes. 



The merit of having first called the attention of naturalists 

 to scales is due to M. Agassiz ; but being deprived of the aid 

 of the microscope, not only the oi-ganization of the scale re- 

 remained concealed from him, but he inevitably also confound- 

 ed scales of the most different forms. It is thus that M. 

 Agassiz states,* that, in the family of the Cyprini, " all the 

 body is covered with scales formed by a pretty considerable 

 number of plates with the edges smooth and entire ; grooves 

 or furrows, more or less numerous, extend from the centre of 

 growth to the edge of the scales," &c., and he arranges the 

 Cyprini ^n the family of the Cycloides ; but these furrows 



* Memoirs de la Societe des Sciences Naturelles de Neufchatel t, i. 

 p. 34. 



