SPINOUS FISHES. 



649 



of these have beards ; a fish highly prized by 

 tiie Romans, and still considered as a very 

 great delicacy. 



19. The Trigla or the Gurnard. The body 

 slender; the head nearly four-cornered, and 

 covered with a bony coat, the fin covering 

 the gills with seven spines; the pectoral and 

 ventral-fins, strengthened with additional mus- 

 cles and bones, and very large for the ani- 

 mal's size. 



20. The Coitus or Bull-head. The body 

 wedge-like; the head flat and broader than 

 the body; the fin covering the gills' with six 

 spines; the head furnished with p*rickles, 

 knobs, and beards. 



21. The Zeus or Doree. The body oblong; 

 the head large, bevel ; the fin covering the 

 gills with seven rays; the fins jagged; the 

 upper jaw with a loose floating skin depend- 

 ing into the mouth. 



22. The Thrachipterus or Sabre. The body 

 sword like; the head bevel; the fin covering 

 the gills with six spines; the lateral line 

 straight; the scales in a single order; a loose 

 skin in both the jaws. 



23. The Gasterosteus or Stickleback. The 

 body broadest towards the tail ; the head ob- 

 long ; the fin covering the gills with three, six, 

 or seven spines ; prickles starting backward 

 before the back fins and the fins of the^&nus. 



Prickly-finned Abdominal Fish. 



21. THE Silurus or Sheath-fish. The body 

 oblong; the head large; the fin covering the 

 gills from four to fourteen spines ; the leading 

 bones or spines in the back and pectoral fins 

 toothed. 



25. The Mugil or Mullet. The body ob- 

 ,long; the head almost conical; the upper jaw 

 with a furrow, which receives the prominence 

 of the under ; the fin covering the gills with 

 seven rays. 



26. The Polynemus. The body oblong; the 

 head with a beak; the fin covering the gills with 

 from five to seven spines : the bones that move 

 the pectoral fins not articulated to those fins. 



27. The Teuthys. The body almost ellip- 

 tical ; the head abruptly shortened ; the fin 

 covering the gills with five rays ; the teeth in 

 a single row, close, strong, and even. 



28. The Elops or Sea-Serpent. The body 



slender ; the head large ; the fin covering the 

 gills double, with thirty spines, and armed ex- 

 ternally with five bones resembling teeth. 



SECT. II. 



SOFT-FINNED FISHES. 



Soft-firmed Apodal Fish. 



29. THE Muratna or Eel. The body round 

 and slender; the head terminating in a beak; 

 the fin covering the gills with ten rays ; the 

 opening to the gills pipe-fashion, placed near 

 the pectoral fins; the fins of the back, the 

 anus, and the tail, united in one. 



30. The Gymnotus or Carapo. The body 

 broadest on the back, like the blade of a knife; 

 the head small ; the fin covering the gills with 

 five rays ; the back without a fin ; two beards 

 or filaments from the upper lip; an inhabit- 

 ant of Brasil. 



31. The Anarhicas or Wolf-fish. The body 

 roundish and slender; the head large arid 

 blunt; the fore-teeth above and below conical; 

 the grinding teeth and those in the palate 

 round ; the fin covering the gills has seven rays. 



32. The Stromateus. The body oblong; 

 the head small; the teeth moderately sharp; 

 the fin covering the gills with five or six rays. 



33. The Ammodytes or Launce. The body 

 slender and roundish; the head terminated 

 by a beak; the teeth of a hair-like fineness; 

 the fin covering the gills with seven rays. 



Soft-finned Jugular Fish. 



34. THE Lepadogaster. The body wedge- 

 like; the head oblong, forwarder than the 

 body, flattish, the beak resembling that of a 

 duck; the pectoral fins double, two on each 

 side; the ventral fins joined together; a kind 

 of bony breast-plate between the pectoral fins; 

 the fin covering the gills with five rays; the 

 opening to the gills pipe-fashion. 



35. The Gadus or Cod-fish. The body 

 oblong; the head wedge-like; the fin cover- 

 ing the gills with seven rays; several back 

 and anal fins 



Soft-firmed Thoracic Fish. 



36. THE Pleuronectes or Flat-fish. The body 



