383 



LAMPREYS. 



The family of the Lampreys is so far an aberrant order of 

 fishes, that in their structure and some of their habits they 

 make an approach to the annelid class of animals, or worms; 

 so that they appear to occupy that intermediate ground by 

 which those seemingly distant families of animals are brought 

 into connection with each other, and thereby testify to a 

 governing law in the all-creating mind, through which a high 

 contriving wisdom has been pleased to unite all the classes of 

 animated nature into one consistent whole. These, like other 

 fishes, possess a brain and spinal marrow, and the bones of 

 the spine run in a connected chain to the end of the body; 

 but even in these particulars, in spite of the similarity, there 

 is still a difference from the generality of fishes, as well in 

 structure as in extent of development. Their mouths also are 

 closed in a different manner, so as even to appear longitudinal, 

 and their jaws are so unlike that it is only by analogy we 

 can assign the same name to the bones. All the bones are 

 remarkably deficient in their calcareous ingredients. The bones 

 of the skull are loosely joined together, and in general overlap 

 each other; and through the bodies of those forming the 

 vertebral column, so soft is the substance inclosed within the 

 rings, that an instrument may be made to pass through their 

 length without meeting with an hindrance. Variations in the 

 arrangement of the teeth are characteristic of the species; 

 but if the particular habits of these fish were not known, 

 their situation would appear the furthest removed from the 

 possibility of being brought into practical use. This will be 

 explained when we speak of the individual species; and we 

 only remark in this place that both in their structure and 

 position we judge them to be the representatives of the 



