S C O M B E R O I D JE. 



629 



inches in length ; but it agrees with the rest of the 

 genus in being 1 of discursive habits, and a fish of much 

 power in the water. The colour is brownish yellow, 

 without any black spot like that which characterises 

 the Dory ; but though it is a very inferior fish to the 

 Dory, there is not the same distinction between the 

 spotted and the unspotted as there is in the Carangi ol 

 the West Indies. The flesh of the boar-fish is hard 

 and not relished ; but it has no poisonous quality. 

 Some of the authorities mention that the odour of it 

 is unpleasant. 



This species has been known as an inhabitant of 

 the Mediterranean since the days of Aristotle ; and 

 a figure of it was given by Rondeletius in his work 

 on fishes, published in 1554. The year 1825 is the 

 earliest time mentioned of its occurring on the south 

 coast of England ; but as several have been noticed 

 since that time, the probability is that want of obser- 

 vation, not want of fish, was the real cause of its not 

 being noticed before. 



Lampris is the third of Cuvier's sub-genera of 

 Zeus. As is the case with the preceding sub-genera, 

 there is only one species of this ; but authors have 

 made amends, as far as they could, by bestowing upon 

 this one a number of names. The characters are : 

 the body oval and much compressed, covered with 

 small scales ; a single dorsal fin, elevated in the an- 

 terior part and falcate ; the pectoral and ventral fins 

 and lobes of the tail rather long ; the sides of the tail 

 with a keel ; and the mouth destitute of teeth. The 

 species alluded to is 



The King-fish or Opah (L. guttatus}. This is a 

 very discursive fish, being found in the Atlantic and 

 the Pacific ; and in many latitudes, especially in the 

 former. It is a common fish on some parts of the 

 west of Africa, and it also appears as far to the north 

 as the coast of Norway. On the British coasts it 

 has hitherto appeared so indiscriminately in various 

 places, that one cannot say that it comes from any 

 particular direction, although the south and west may 

 be set down as the coasts upon which it is most likely 

 to be found. 



It gets its royal name from the beauty of its colours, 

 which are certainly as rich as one can well imagine. 

 The upper parts, when seen with little reflection of 

 light, are of a greenish colour ; but as the position is 

 shifted, there come out rich metallic reflections of 

 purple and gold. The under part is greenish yellow, 

 into which the richer colours of the upper part fade 

 gradually, and the metallic reflections become less 

 brilliant as this colour gets pale. Along the sides, 

 both above the lateral line and below it, there are 

 round spots of white, very well defined in their out- 

 lines. The fins are rich vermilion red, and the irides 

 scarlet. The body, seen in profile, is of an oval form, 

 or rather composed of two similar symmetrical curves, 

 which meet in a blunted angle at the snout, and ap- 

 proach each other at the base of the tail, where 

 the depth is not great. The greatest depth of the 

 body is in advance of the middle of the length, and 

 measures about half as much. The lateral line is 

 much curved, rising near to the dorsal fin, opposite 

 its base, and again descending toward the upper 

 edge of the gill-cover. The fish is of huge size 

 and weight, one specimen having occurred in this 

 country measuring four feet and a half in length, 

 and weighing one hundred and forty pounds. 



Equula is the next sub-genu? into which Zeus has 

 been divided. They have only one dorsal fin, but 



that contains many rays, and the anterior ones are 

 often very elevated. The body is compressed, and 

 the upper and underlines are toothed in many of the 

 species. The muzzle in all is protractile, and some of 

 them are said to make use of it in capturing the small 

 fishes and other little animals upon which they feed. 

 They lie in a state of repose, with the muzzle drawn 

 in to the utmost that it admits of, and when the pre\ r 

 comes within their reach, they shut the muzzle at it, 

 and seize it with great accuracy. The species are 

 numerous, generally of small size, and most of them 

 inhabit the Indian seas. 



Mene have the muzzle formed like Equula, but 

 differ from them in many other respects. They have 

 the body still more compressed, and the back nearly 

 straight, which gives the outline of the under part a 

 very great degree of curvature ; and the position of 

 the shoulder bone and the cavity of the body, throw 

 the abdominal fins in advance of the pectorals. There 

 is but one known species, a native of the Indian and 

 Chinese seas. It is of a fine silvery colour, with 

 black spots on the back. 



STROMATEUS. These fishes have the compressed 

 form of the genus Zeus, but the muzzle is blunt and 

 not protractile, and their teeth, which are very small, 

 are in a single row. The spinous rays of the dorsal 

 are nearly concealed in the anterior margins ; they 

 have no ventral fins. They admit of subdivision into 

 numerous genera. The greater part of them inhabit 

 the warm seas, though there are some in those of 

 Europe, which, however, are too rarely seen for hav- 

 ing any thing like a popular history. 



KURTCS Hunch-back. These resemble the last 

 mentioned genus in many points ; but they have also 

 many peculiarities. Their dorsal is much lower ; 

 their ventrals are large ; and their anal long ; the 

 scales upon them are so minute, that they cannot be 

 seen till the gelatinous parts shrink on drying the 

 skin ; they have a spine on the under part between 

 the ventrals, and little sharp horns in advance of the 

 dorsal, and a crooked spine immediately in front. 

 They have a cavity formed by rays of the rib under 

 the spinal column, in which the air-vessel is lodged. 

 The typical genus is Kurtus cornutns of India ; so 

 called from a sort of horn, which occupies the place 

 of the front cartilaginous projection in advance of the 

 dorsal. This species feeds upon Crustacea and shell- 

 ed rnollusca. In point of colour it is a very beauti- 

 ful fish. The scales have a silvery lustre more per- 

 fectly metallic than is to.be found in almost any other 

 fish ; and this is set off by fine contrasts. The pec- 

 toral fins are metallic golden yellow, bordered with 

 red ; the other fins are yellow with black borders, 

 and having little metallic lustre. 



CORYPH^ENA is the last genus of the mackarel fa- 

 mily which contains many species, most of them in- 

 habitants of the warm seas ; many of them fishes of 

 large size and great beauty, and all of them possess- 

 ing in a high degree that muscular power which is 

 characteristic of the family. Some notice of the sub- 

 genera, and also of the leading species, will be found 

 in the article CORYPHENE ; so that it only remains 

 to notice one species which claims to be a British 

 fish, though a very rare one. This species is 



The Black Fish (Centralophus pompilits). The cha- 

 racters of this genus are : no teeth on the palate, and 

 those in the jaws very small ; a single dorsal, rising 

 at some distance behind the occiput, and long, but not 

 very high ; no spines in front of the dorsal or the 



