ELECTRIC SILURUS. * 103 



two hundred and sixty seven years old. The growth of these 

 fishes is very rapid ; the first year they are often ten or eleven 

 inches in length, and in the second, fifteen. 



The Sea I'ike, Esox belong also known as the gar -fish, 

 spit-fish, and bill-fish, belongs to this family. 



18. EXOCETS, (or Fly ing -Fishes, as they, as well as the 

 Dactylopterus, (Page 93.) are also commonly called,) Exocetus, 

 belong to the same family as the Pikes, and are recognised at 

 first sight by the excessive length of their pectoral fins, which 

 are .long enough to serve them as wings, and sustain them for a 

 few seconds in the air. They swim in shoals, and are pursued 

 by legions of voracious fishes, to escape from which they spring 

 out of water ; but they soon fall again, because their wings only 

 serve them as a parachute ; and, while on their aerial course, they 

 become the prey of sea-birds, as well as of sharks and other fishes. 



19. The FAMILY OF SILUROIDES differs from all other abdo- 

 minal malacopterygians, in the absence of true scales. The skin 

 is naked, or furnished with bony plates. The dorsal and pectoral 

 fins have almost always, a strong articulated spine for the first 

 fin-ray, and, as in the next family, there is often one adipose fin 

 posteriorly; and the mouth also has some peculiarities of 

 structure. 



20. Most of these fishes belong to the tribe of SILURUS, which 

 is recognised by the naked skin, by the mouth cleft at the end of 

 the muzzle, and by a strong spine that, in general, constitutes the 

 first ray of the pectoral fin, which is articulated with the shoulder, 

 and so arranged, that it can be approximated to the body, or 

 raised perpendicularly to it, and thus used as a dangerous 

 weapon. The Si/uri properly so called, have a small fin on the 

 fore part of the back, sustained by rays. One species of this 

 genus, the only one in France, is the largest fresh water fish of 

 Europe. Its length ordinarily exceeds six feet, and its weight 

 is often three hundred pounds. The Cat-fish belongs to this 

 tribe. 



21. The Malapteruri differ but little from the Siluri, from 

 which they are distinguished by the absence of a rayed fin on 

 the back, and by some other characters. The famous S Hunts 

 clectricm of the Nile, is the only species belonging to this 

 division : like the Torpedo and Gymnotus, it possesses the power 



18. What are the characters and habits of the fishes ot the genus 

 Exocetus? 



19. What are the characters of the family of Silurcides ? 



20. What are the characters of the tribe of Silurus ? 



21. What are the characters of the Silurus elcctricus? Where is the 

 electric organ situate ? 



