294 



B A L I S T E S. 



more that the scaly appendages to the skins of fish 

 resemble bone, they arc the more persistent ; and 

 when they attain the bony character it is doubtful 

 whether they are ever shed ; whereas, the imbricated 

 scales, which have great part of their posterior edges 

 free, often adhere so slightly that they can be rubbed 

 off by a mere touch, and are probably shed every sea- 

 son, like the hair in most of the mammalia, and the 

 feathers in most of the birds. In those species which 

 have the scales deciduous, the colour is principally 

 or wholly in the scales, and is subject to a change of 

 bloom or lustre, being most bright in the breeding 

 season. When the scales are osseous, again, the 

 colour, in part at least, is in the skin, and the scales 

 have not so much bloom in the breeding season. 

 Scales of this structure and arrangement cannot be 

 so efficient in the act of swimming as free scales ; and 

 hence the fishes which have them are either supplied 

 with an extraordinary development of the fins, a 

 peculiar form of body which facilitates their motion, 

 or they are local and do not range far. Length, 

 strength, and power of motion in the rays, are the 

 general attributes of these fins. The body is either 

 elongated or it is compressed laterally, the last of 

 which is the case with the balistes. The bones 

 of the ribs may also be considered as in some way 

 contributing to the act of swimming; and, besides 

 their motion, they are often accompanied by a power 

 of extending the cavity of the body to a great extent 

 by distension. But the balistes generally have not 

 that power to such an extent as some of the analogous 

 genera. In almost all cases, however, in which a h'sh 

 has the power of inflating the cavity of its body, the 

 part which it inflates is in some way armed with pro- 

 jecting members ; and therefore one may conclude 

 that it assists in some way or other in their motion 

 through the water. 



The first dorsal fin of the true balistes consists of 

 three spines, of which the first is by much the longest ; 

 the last very small, and directed to the rear. The 

 extremity of the cavity of the body is projecting and 

 rough ; and there are at the hinder part of it produced 

 spines, which may be considered as the rudiments of 

 ventral fins, at least there is little doubt, that, aided 

 by the action of the bones and the general roughness, 

 they in so far answer the same purpose. Some of 

 this subdivision have spines on the sides of the tail, 

 and others have large scales or plates behind the gill- 

 openings ; but, in general, those which have the one 

 of these characters are without the other. 



Monocanthus have, as the name imports, only one 

 conspicuous spine in the first dorsal ; but they have 

 one, or indeed two, rudimental ones, the last of which 

 is hardly visible above the skin. The single spine is 

 toothed on its posterior edge, the teeth being recurved 

 like barbs ; and the spine itself is much longer in 

 proportion than in the first subdivision, having more 

 the appearance of a barbed horn than of part of a fin. 

 Some of the species of this subdivision have the 

 bones in the sides of the cavity susceptible of much 

 motion, and the extremity of the abdomen provided 

 with a rayed apparatus, capable of being folded and 

 unfolded like a fan ; nor is there any doubt that this 

 apparatus aids them powerfully in their swimming. 

 These have also spines on the sides of the base of the 

 tail. Other species have the sides of the tail furnished 

 with rough bristly appendages. Indeed, it is not possible 

 generally to describe the appendages which the species 

 in this subdivision have to the covering of their bodies. 



Some have their bodies beset with tubercles or little 

 peduncles or stalks, and others have them branched, 

 as if they were small sprigs of some kind of aquatic 

 plant. One of the species, pendlligems, of which the 

 following is a figure, will illustrate that character. 



Ealistes pencilligerua. 



Of Aluteres, which has also only one dorsal fin, the 

 species are not so numerous, or, at all events, so well 

 defined. See ALUTERES. 



Triacanthits differs from all the other subdivisions, 

 in having ventral fins, and the termination of the 

 cavity of the body not prominent or bristly. These 

 ventral fins are supported each by a large spine, which, 

 however, does not stand out, but is united to the 

 abdomen. Indeed, the fan-like apparatus in which the 

 abdomen of some of these fish terminate, may be con- 

 sidered as two ventral fins joined together. The name 

 of this subdivision would imply that the first dorsal 

 fin has three spines ; bat it often has more (and there 

 is but one known species) though the first spine is 

 much larger than any of the others. 



Though, as has been said, of little or no use as food, 

 fishes of this genus attract attention by their singular 

 shapes, and also by their bright colours ; and they 

 are known to British sailors frequenting the seas 

 which they inhabit by the general name of " Old 

 Wife." 



An enumeration of all the species would be a long 

 list, and it would be far from a popular one, as many 

 of them are but little known. We shall therefore 

 notice only a few of the more interesting that is, of 

 those that have been observed with most attention. 

 We shall notice them all under the generic name 

 balistes ; and add the names of Cuvier's subgenera in 

 parentheses where necessary. 



Balistes capriscus (balistes, C.} is the one which has 

 been longest known. It is the only one which 

 inhabits the European seas, being found in the 

 Mediterranean. The general colour of this species 

 is brownish-grey, with blue or green stripes or spots. 

 It is found in the Mediterranean, and also in many 

 parts of the tropical seas. It appears to vary consi- 

 derably both in colour and in size, and hence different 

 authors have described it under different names, 

 which has indeed been the case with several others 

 of the genus. The skin is smoother, and the depth 

 of the body less than in some of the other species. 



Balistes niger (balistes, C.) is altogether black, 

 excepting a portion round each eye, and a bar on the 

 basal part of the second dorsal, the anal and caudal 

 fins, the last of which has the exterior rays pro- 

 duced forming two points. It has also some of the 

 lateral teeth in the upper jaw produced, and iu part 



