530 HISTORY OF 



These first are distinguished from each other, as being either 

 apodal, jugular, thoracic, or abdominal. Thus there are prickly- 

 finned o;;o</a/ fishes ; prickly-finnedya^!/?«r fishes ; prickly- finned 

 thoracic fishes ; and prickly-finned abdominal fishes. On the 

 other hand, the soft-finned fishes fall under a similar distribution, 

 and make the other general division. Thus there are soft-finned 

 a/jorfa/ fishes, soft-finned Ji/^^ufer fishes, soft-finned thoracic fishes, 

 and soft-finned abdominal fishes. These general characters are 

 strongly marked, and easily remembered. It only remains, there- 

 fore, to divide these into such tribes as are most strongly marked 

 by nature ; and to give the distinct characters of each to form a 

 complete system with great simplicity. This Mr Gouan has 

 done ; and the tribes into which he has distributed each of these 

 divisions, exactly amount to fifty. Thus the reader, who can 

 contain in his memory the characteristic marks of fifty kinds 

 will have a tolerable idea of the form of every kind of spinous 

 fish. I say, of the form •, for as to the history and nature of the 

 animal itself, that can only be obtained by experience and infor- 

 mation. 



SECT. L 



PRICKLY-FINNED FISHES. 



Prickly -finned Apodal Fish. 



1. The Trichurus. The body of a sword- form ; the head 

 oblong ; the teeth sword-like, bearded near the points j the fore- 

 teeth largest ; the fin that covers the gills with seven spines ; 

 tlie tail ending in a point without fins ; an inhabitant near the 

 Oriental and American shores ; of a silvery white ; frequently 

 leaping into the fishermen's boats in China. 



2. The Xiphias, or Sword-fish. The body round ; the head 

 long ; the upper-jaw terminating by a long beak, in form of a 

 sword ; the fin that covers the gills with eight spines ; an in- 

 habitant of Europe j an enemy to the whale.* 



♦ Sword-fish are very large and powerful animals, often growing to ilio 

 length of twenty feet and upwards. Their voracity is unbounded, fur tb.y 



