LECTURE VIII. 45 



Amphibia ; imagining them to be possessed of a 

 kind of real lungs as well as of gills. 



The more accurate researches of modern natu- 

 ralists have proved the mistake, and sufficiently 

 explained its causes, and such Fishes are again 

 remanded to their proper situation. 



The generality of Fishes are covered with 

 scales, of very various form and size in the differ- 

 ent tribes, and even many fishes which are popu- 

 larly supposed to be perfectly destitute of scales, 

 are found, on an accurate inspection, to be fur- 

 nished with them, as the common Eel, for ex- 

 ample. The scales in Fishes are to be considered 

 as analogous to the hair, or spines, or scales in the 

 different kinds of quadrupeds, as well as to the 

 feathers of birds, the animal matter of which 

 they consist being nearly the same in all. 



The chief instruments of motion in Fishes are 

 the fins, which may be considered as analogous to 

 the limbs in quadrupeds : they consist of a certain 

 number of elastic rays or processes, either of one 

 single piece, in the form of a spine, or of jointed 

 and subdivided pieces, ramifying towards the ex- 

 tremity : the strong or spiny rays are usually 

 placed at the fore-part of the fin, and the soft or 



