ACANTHOPTERYGII. 203 



colour: has seven filaments on each side, the first of which are twice the 

 length of the body. It is the most delicious fish found in Bengal. 



tn the succeeding genera the ventrals are altogether behind, and 

 the pelvis no longer adheres to the bones of the shoulder. 



The genera are Sphyrxna, Paralepis, and Muttus, (or the Surmullet of 

 Europe.) 



FAMILY II. 

 BUCC^E LORICATE. 



The family of the Mailed- Cheeks, contains a numerous suite of 

 fishes to which the singular appearance of their head, variously 

 mailed and protected, gives a peculiar aspect that has always caused 

 them to be arranged in special genera, although they have many 

 close affinities with the Perches. Their common character consists 

 in the sub-orbital being more or less extended over the cheek and 

 articulated behind with the preoperculum. The Uranoscopus is 

 the only one of the preceding family which has any thing like it, but 

 the sub-orbital of the latter, although very broad, is connected be- 

 hind with the temporal bones, and not with the preoperculum. 



Linnaeus divided them into three genera, TRIGLA, COTTUS, and 

 SCORP^ENA; it has been found necessary, however, to subdivide them, 

 and to add some of his GASTEROSTEI. 



TRIGLA, Lin. 



The above character strongly marked? an enormous sub-orbital completely 

 covering the cheek, and even articulated by an immovable suture with the 

 preoperculum, so as to allow of no separate motion; sides of the head nearly 

 vertical, giving it a form approaching that of a cube, or parallelepiped, the 

 bones hard and rough. There are two distinct dorsals, and three free rays 

 under the pectoral. Several species, when caught, utter sounds which 

 have procured for them in France their vulgar name of Grondins f in Eng- 

 land they are called Gurnards. 

 The best of these divisions is the 



DACTYLOPTERUS, Lacep. 



So celebrated under the name of Flying Fishes,- the subpectoral rays are 

 much more numerous and longer; and intead of being free, as in the prece- 

 ding ones, they are united by a membrane so as to form a supernumerary 



