FISH. 349 



the African seas. For example, the Raja guttcla was seen 

 by Commerson along the coasts of Ma(^aga6car, and the 

 lymna and pearled rays (J?, lynvna and sephen) both occur 

 in the Red Sea. It is from the skin of the last-named 

 species that the beautiful substance called Galluchat by the 

 French is prepared. It is tinted with blue, green, or red, 

 according to the taste of the artist, and being afterward 

 polished, is used in the manufacture of different kinds of 

 cages, telescope-tubes, &c. The younger specimens, ac- 

 cording to La C6pede, are preferred, — the tubercular coat 

 of the full-grown individuals being rather too rough for the 

 desired purpose. Several species of shark inhabit the Af- 

 rican seas. They are disagreeable to bathers. 



The extraordinary genus Ostracion, or trunk-fish, distin- 

 guished by the peculiar bony crust or covering in which it 

 is enveloped, is widely distributed over the Indian and Ame- 

 rican oceans. Of the African species we may name the 

 tuberculated trunk-fish (C. iuherculatus\ by some regarded 

 as a mere variety of Ostracion trigueter, a kind much 

 esteemed for the uses of the table in the East Indies. The 

 not less remarkable tribe included in the genus Tetrodon 

 are represented in Africa by the lineated species (T. line- 

 atus) which sometimes occurs in the Nile, where Hasselquist 

 was assured by the fishermen, that on seizing this fish 

 in the water their hands were frequently stung as if by 

 nettles. 



The last genus to which we shall allude is that called 

 SyngncUhics, or pipe-fish. Some of these are found in the 

 northern seas, others in the equatorial ; while the most 

 remarkable of all is the foliated pipe-fish (Hippocampus fo- 

 liatus^ Cuvier), which has hitherto occurred only along the 

 shores of New-Holland and Van Dieraan's Land. The 

 pelagic pipe-fish {S. pelagicus) is found in the African seas. 

 We shall close our ichthyological department by two 

 short extracts. " I was present," says M. Adanson, " at a 

 very extraordinary capture of fish, made the same month 

 (March, 1750) on the coast of Ben, within a league of the 

 island Goree, by the company belonging to one of the East 

 India ships, which had anchored in the road. They haa 

 only a net of about sixty fathoms, which they threw at a 

 venture into the sea ; for they were not so lucky as to espy 

 any of those shoals of fishes : yet they had such surprising 



