APPENDIX. 323 



The malacopterygii, or soft-rayed, are separated into the abdomi- 

 nal, which have the ventrals in the centre of the abdomen ; the sub- 

 ~bracliial, which have the ventrals at the shoulder ; and the apodal, 

 or footless, that is without lower fins. 



Of the abdominal, the first family is that of the silurida. It is 

 distinguished by a naked, slimy skin, a large head with several fila- 

 ments, usually a second adipose dorsal, and the first ray of the dorsal 

 and pectoral a strong articulated spine. They comprise the cat-fish, 

 bull-pouts, bull-heads and horned-pouts, as you please to call them, 

 the common kinds being classed under the genus pimelodus. 



The second family is the cyprinidce, which have small jaws, a weak 

 mouth, mostly toothless, large scales, one dorsal, and teeth on the 

 pharyngeals. The cyprinus carpio is the common carp, the cyprinus 

 auratus the gold-fish, both of which were imported and are not indi- 

 genous. This family also includes the dbramis or bream, sometimes 

 called dace ; the Itibeo, chub or chub-sucker ; the catastomus or 

 common sucker, of which genus the species are known by varied 

 popular appellatives, such as mullet, barbel, dace, horned-dace, golden 

 mullet, red-horse and shoemaker ; the genus leuciscus or dace proper, 

 also the red -fin, roach and shiners ; the fundulus or killifish, other- 

 wise minnow or muminychog ; and the hydragira or fresh-water 

 minnow. 



The next family, the esocidce, has one dorsal opposite the anal, an 

 elongated body, and a large mouth filled with sharp teeth. It in- 

 cludes the esox or pickerel and mascallonge; the belone or sea-pike, 

 sometimes miscalled gar-fish and sea-snipe ; the scomberesox or bill- 

 fish ; and the exocetus or flying-fish proper. 



The family of ih& jftstularidce includes the pipe-fish; and the next 

 family of importance is that of the salmonidca, comprising the salmo 

 salar or salmon, the salmo fontinalis or American brook trout, the 

 salmo confinis or lake trout, and the salmo amethystus or Mackinaw 

 salmon, the osmerus or smelt, and the coregonus or white-fish and 

 Otsego bass. 



The family of the clupidw has a single dorsal and compressed 

 scaly body. It includes the clupea or herring, the alosa or shad, ale- 

 wife and mossbunker ; and the family of the sauridcs has only one 

 common representative, called the buffalo-fish. 



Of the sub-brachial we have the family gadidce, which have the 

 jaws and point of the vomer armed with rasp-like teeth, and two or 

 three dorsals. Morrhua, cod, torn-cod or frost-fish, haddock and the 

 melucim, or hake, form the most considerable genera ; the lota or 

 burbot of the lakes, and the merlangus or pollack, are also taken in 

 large numbers. 



The next family, the planida, has a flat body, the under side 

 white and the upper dark, both eyes on one side of the head, and a 

 dorsal extending the entire length of the back. It includes the hip- 



