﻿76 
  Description 
  of 
  the 
  Selene 
  Argentea 
  ofLacepede, 
  Sfc. 
  

  

  Upper 
  lobe 
  of 
  caudal, 
  measured 
  outside, 
  long 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  36. 
  

  

  Lower 
  lobe 
  of 
  caudal, 
  do. 
  do. 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  - 
  39. 
  

  

  Middle 
  rays 
  of 
  caudal, 
  long 
  ------- 
  5.5 
  

  

  The 
  Abacatuia 
  of 
  Marcgrave 
  {Piso, 
  Brazil, 
  161) 
  is 
  the 
  Argyreiosus 
  Vomer. 
  

   A 
  curious 
  error 
  is 
  committed 
  by 
  the 
  compilers 
  who 
  used 
  Marcgrave's 
  materials 
  ; 
  

   for 
  at 
  p. 
  145 
  of 
  the 
  above 
  work, 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  a 
  so-called 
  Guaperva 
  (the 
  Chm- 
  

   todon 
  arcuatus) 
  is 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  A. 
  Vomer, 
  but 
  different 
  from 
  that 
  

   on 
  p. 
  161. 
  This 
  description 
  is 
  repeated 
  on 
  p. 
  178, 
  with 
  the 
  true 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  Cha- 
  

   todon 
  arcuatus. 
  Cuvier 
  indicates 
  this 
  error. 
  The 
  A. 
  Vomer 
  is 
  first 
  figured 
  in 
  De 
  

   Laet, 
  p. 
  574, 
  without 
  a 
  description, 
  imder 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Awah-kattoe-jahwe 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  

   Piso, 
  de 
  India 
  Utriusque, 
  p. 
  55, 
  it 
  is 
  given 
  again, 
  with 
  a 
  full 
  description. 
  In 
  this 
  

   last 
  work 
  it 
  is 
  noticed 
  in 
  such 
  general 
  terms, 
  that 
  the 
  description 
  would 
  apply 
  to 
  

   any 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  broad 
  Scomberoids 
  with 
  filamentous 
  rays,* 
  and 
  is 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  ex- 
  

   cellent 
  food. 
  May 
  it 
  not 
  be 
  that 
  here 
  the 
  Selene 
  is 
  intended, 
  which 
  is 
  large 
  enough, 
  

   while 
  the 
  A. 
  Vomer 
  is 
  too 
  small 
  almost 
  to 
  be 
  applied 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  purpose. 
  Again, 
  the 
  

   fish 
  said 
  by 
  Mons. 
  Ricord 
  (Cuv. 
  and 
  Val., 
  ix., 
  186) 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  two 
  feet 
  long 
  at 
  St. 
  

   Domingo, 
  must 
  be 
  the 
  Selene, 
  and 
  not 
  the 
  A. 
  Vomer. 
  Plumier 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  the 
  only 
  person 
  who 
  ever 
  drew 
  the 
  Selene 
  from 
  life. 
  His 
  figure 
  was, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  

   considered 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  an 
  A. 
  Vomer 
  until 
  distinguished 
  by 
  Lacepede, 
  who, 
  however, 
  

   not 
  having 
  the 
  specimen 
  to 
  describe 
  from, 
  could 
  not 
  give 
  sufficient 
  specific 
  details 
  

   to 
  establish 
  the 
  species 
  on 
  a 
  sure 
  basis. 
  Cuvier 
  is, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  right 
  in 
  supposing 
  

   Mitchell's 
  Zeus 
  capillaris 
  and 
  rostratus 
  (Lit. 
  and 
  Phil. 
  Trans., 
  i., 
  383, 
  pi. 
  2, 
  fig. 
  1., 
  

   2) 
  to 
  be 
  identical 
  with 
  each 
  other. 
  I 
  have 
  specimens 
  where 
  the 
  two 
  long 
  fila- 
  

   mentous 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  dorsal 
  are 
  firmly 
  glued 
  together. 
  He, 
  however, 
  only 
  

   gives 
  it 
  one 
  long 
  ray 
  ; 
  ours 
  has 
  certainly 
  two, 
  and 
  on 
  this 
  account, 
  bs 
  well 
  as 
  from 
  

   other 
  specific 
  differences, 
  ought 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  species 
  by 
  itself, 
  which 
  may 
  be 
  called 
  

   A. 
  funiculatus. 
  

  

  The 
  high 
  and 
  compressed 
  form 
  of 
  body 
  peculiar 
  to 
  the 
  Blepharidae, 
  enable 
  them, 
  

   no 
  doubt, 
  to 
  circulate 
  freely 
  between 
  the 
  long 
  fuci 
  growing 
  on 
  rocky 
  bottoms, 
  where 
  

   they 
  find 
  plenty 
  of 
  food, 
  and 
  security 
  from 
  their 
  enemies. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  been 
  informed, 
  since 
  writing 
  the 
  above, 
  that 
  a 
  fish 
  called 
  the 
  Cavalli, 
  and 
  

   appearing 
  to 
  answer 
  to 
  the 
  Selene, 
  is 
  caught 
  in 
  numbers 
  in 
  the 
  West-Indies, 
  and 
  eaten 
  

   with 
  relish 
  ; 
  and 
  that 
  t'le 
  little 
  A. 
  Vomer, 
  or, 
  more 
  probably, 
  the 
  fish 
  of 
  Mitchill, 
  is 
  

   considered 
  a 
  great 
  delicacy. 
  

  

  * 
  No 
  name 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  this 
  group 
  of 
  genera 
  composed 
  of 
  Olistus, 
  Scyris, 
  Blepha- 
  

   ris, 
  Gallichtys, 
  Argyreiosus, 
  Sdene, 
  Vomer, 
  and 
  Hynnis. 
  Part 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Carangus 
  ought, 
  

   perhaps, 
  to 
  be 
  added 
  to 
  this 
  group. 
  I 
  would 
  propose 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  Blepharida 
  to 
  distinguish 
  it. 
  

  

  