GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF FISHES. 11 



cartilaginous and spinous, but into viviparous 

 and oviparous. 



The viviparous, that breathe with gills, he sub- 

 divides into long ; such as the galci and canes, or 

 sharks and dog-fish: and broad ; such as the 

 pastinaca, raja, &c. : the subdivisions of each 

 whereof, he gives in his chapter of cartilaginous 

 fishes in general. 



The oviparous, that breathe with gills, are the 

 most numerous ; and these he subdivides into 

 such as are what we usually call fiat fish, and 

 such as swim with their backs upright, or at right 

 angles with the horizon. 



The plain or flat fish, called usually plant spi- 

 nosi, ,are either quadrati, as the rombi and pas- 

 seres, or those of the turbot or flounder kind ; or 

 longiusculi, as the sola, or sole-kind. 



Such as swim with their backs erect are either 

 long and smooth, and without scales, as the eel- 

 kind, or shorter and less smooth ; and these have 

 either but one pair of fins at their gills, which are 

 called orbes and congeneres, or else another pair 

 of fins also on their bellies : the latter he sub- 

 divides into two kinds 1st, such as have no 

 prickly fins on their backs, but soft and flexible 

 ones ; 2nd, such as have prickly fins on their 

 backs. 



Those fishes which have only soft and flexible 

 fins on their backs may be divided into such as 

 have three, two, or but one single fin there. 



No fish but the aselli have three fins on their 

 backs. 



Fishes with two fins on their backs are either 

 the truttaceous, trout-kind ; or the gobionites, 

 loche or gudgeon kind. 



Fishes with but one soft back-fin are of three 



