42/j. DESCRIPTION OF THE MUSEUM. 



the greatest care, and so as to facilitate the exa- 

 mination of them. 



On the floor of the great room is placed the 

 basking shark (squalus maximus}-, several other 

 specimens of which of considerable dimensions 

 are attached to the ceiling ; we shall point them 

 out when we have occasion to speak of them in 

 their regular order. In this as in the preceding 

 rooms we shall follow the cases from left to 

 right. 



The fishes have been divided into two great 

 series and into eight orders by M. Cuvier. We 

 shall not touch upon this classification, of which 

 full information may be obtained by examining 

 the collection destined for study. We must 

 follow the natural families, calling the attention 

 to those genera and species which seem to us to 

 merit it the most. 



The first family is composed of two genera : the 

 lamprey (petromyzon, Lin.,) and gastrobranchus 

 (niyxine, Lin.), united under the denomination of 

 suckers, because they attach themselves closely 

 to different bodies, fixing upon them their round 

 and fleshy mouth, and their tongue which acts as 

 a piston. We have eight species of lamprey. 

 The only one which is sought after is the great 

 lamprey; it is caught at the mouth of rivers, 

 which it ascends in the spring : the other species 



