VENTRAL FINS. Ill 



laginous fishes, of cartilage, and not of bone. It 

 is principally these rays of the pectoral fins, and 

 the flesh upon them, that are eaten at table; in 

 other words, it is the enormous hand of the animal 

 chiefly on which we regale ourselves. The pectoral 

 fins are very rarely wanting in fishes ; but such is 

 the case with the lampreys and a few others. 



The ventral fins assist the pectorals, and are 

 of use in turning and balancing the fish, but in 

 their office are entirely subordinate. They are 

 supported by the pelvis in the same manner as 

 the scapula and clavicle support the pectoral fins. 

 The bones of this part are extremely imperfect, and 

 quite unattached, in the osseous fishes, to the 

 spine, apparently for the purpose, as already re- 

 marked, of leaving that portion of the spinal 

 column, by which the tail is moved, as free from 

 incumbrance as possible. The two rude bones of 

 which it consists are situated sometimes before the 

 pectoral fins, sometimes opposite to them, and 

 sometimes oehind them; and they may be either 

 attached to the bones of the head or to the sca- 

 pular arch, or quite unattached to any part of the 

 skeleton. With these pelvic bones are, in general, 

 directly connected the long radiating bones corres- 

 ponding to the instep and toes of the higher tribes 

 of animals, no trace being commonly visible of the 

 intermediate thigh, leg, and ancle bones, which are 

 me.t with in the latter, although the previously 

 named portions are quite sufficient to establish the 

 structural analogy of the ventral fins of the fish 



