26 SCOMBRHXE. 



equal height, and each with a triangular membrane in its 

 axilla. The soft dorsal and anal are alike, each being 

 higher in front, but not decidedly falcate, and each having 

 a short spine incumbent on the base of the first articulated 

 ray. Two detached spines stand in front of the anal 

 similar to those of the first dorsal, and midway between 

 them and the ventrals is the vent. 



The caudal is deeply swallow-tailed. 



There are several vertical oval spots or bars in a row 

 just above the lateral line, and touching it. These are 

 said in the Histoire des Poissons to be peculiar to the adult 

 fish. Mr. Couch says, that the dorsal aspect and the 

 lateral bars were of rather a dark blue ; the ventral 

 aspect from the mandible to the caudal, and including 

 the eye, was pale yellow, and the dark blotches on the 

 anterior tips of the soft dorsal and anal were well marked. 

 Cuvier describes the air-bladder as forked posteriorly, its 

 long points entering among the muscles of the tail on 

 each side of the anal interspinal bones : and he considers 

 the course of the lateral line without a decided elbow as 

 a mark by which the Derbio may be readily distinguished 

 from the Lichia amia, which is the second glaucus of Ronde- 

 let, the amia of Salviani, and the cerviola of the Sicilians. 

 In this second species the lateral line has a strong curva- 

 ture in form of the letter CQ . Willughby introduced 

 much confusion into the history of these two species, 

 having mistaken the Derbio or the first glaucus of Ron- 

 delet for the second one ; and Ray, Artedi, and Linnasus 

 have all, while correct on some points, fallen into error on 

 others in their accounts of the several species of Lichia. 



