NATURALIST S CABINET. 



Varieties Formidable and generally venomous. 



threaten only with their spine; others are de- 

 fended with a bony helmet that covers the head; 

 some with a coat of mail from the head to the 

 other extremity; and others again armed offen- 

 sively and defensively with bones and spines, 

 Their armour is in all cases formidable, and the 

 greater number of them venomous in their 

 nature. 



The centriscus includes two species; one havr 

 ing its back covered with a smooth bony shell, 

 which ends in a sharp spine, under which is the 

 tail. It is a native of the East Indies. The 

 other, which is found in the Mediterranean, has 

 a rough scabrous body, and a straight extended 

 tail. In both, the head gradually ends in a narr 

 row snout, the aperture is broad and flat ; the 

 belly keel-formed, and the belly-fins united. It 

 wounds with its fins. 



The ostracion cornutus is found in the Indian 

 Ocean ; it has a long spine in front of each eye, 

 and one on each side the vent, pointing to the 

 tail ; the body quadrangular, reticulated with a 

 raised line ; the tail very long. 



The five-spined coney fish is also supposed to 

 be an inhabitant of the Indian Ocean. The 

 body is triangular, and retriculated by sunk lines 

 into hexangular and heptangular meshes, each 

 bound a little within the line by a black stripe ; 

 before each eye a short strong spine; a third on 

 the middle of the back., and one oa each side the 



