FLEXIBLE-FINNED FISHES. 39 



and many species of each family, there are no great subordinate 

 divisions. 



Of tlie flexible-finned fishes, on the contrary, there are 

 three strongly-defined divisions, of which the largest is that 

 containing 



The Abdominal Malacopterygii ; in all of which the two ventral 

 fins, BB, are situate on the belly, attached to the walls of the 

 stomach, and deriving no support from the bones of the shoulder. 

 To this division belongs, among many others, the subject of the 

 outline cut on page 37, the European Lake Trout; and, as a 

 consequence, all the family of the Salmonid(E. The fishes of 

 this division can be readily distinguished, on a mere external 

 examination, by the fact that the ventral fins, b b, are situated 

 much farther back than in those of the next division, occupying 

 a position nearly longitudinally posterior to the pectorals, a a ; 

 while in those to which I next proceed, they are nearly vertically 

 below them. 



The second grand division of the flexible-finned fishes consists 

 of the Sub-brachial Malacopterygii ; in all of which the ventral 

 fins, b b, are placed very near to the pectorals, a a, the bones 

 supporting the former being attached to the bones of the 

 shoulder which support the latter. The term sub-brachial 

 briefly expresses this formation, signifying " having lower arms" 

 — to which human limb the reference is pointed by the 

 connection of the fin, in this division, to the shoulder. 



The third division of the flexible-finned fishes, to which I 

 allude rather to complete the subject, than that they fall regularly 

 into the angler's way, consists of those designated by Baron 

 Cuvier as the Apodal Malacopterygii; in all of which the 



