ICHTHYOLOGY FOR THE ANGLER. 397 



Simple enough for our purpose, then, is the classification 

 of Cuvier, which is as follows : 



1. Spine-rayed bony fishes. 



2. Soft-rayed bony fishes. 

 8. Cartilaginous fishes. 



The fins are described as follows : First and second dor- 

 sal fins, where there are two fins on the back ; the pec- 

 toral or breast fins, of which there are two, one on each 

 side, near the gill-coverings ; two abdominal or belly fins ; two 

 anal fins, and the caudal fin or tail. Spine-rayed are those 

 that have sharp bony divisions in their fins. Soft-rayed are 

 those that are destitute of the spinal feature ; and the carti- 

 laginous are those that have gristle or cartilage in their whole 

 skeleton, instead of bone. The fins of the latter class, how- 

 ever, may be spinated or soft. 



In the first class, spine-rayed bony fishes, are comprised 

 fully three-quarters of the inhabitants of the fish kingdom, 

 among which may be enumerated all of the perch and basse 

 family, the blackfish, porgy, sheepshead, weak-fish, drum, 

 kingfish or barb, chub, mackerel, bluefish, bonito, dolphin, 

 Spanish mackerel, etc. 



The second class, soft-rayed bony fishes, have soft and 

 flexible rays. The rays in this class of fishes are formed of 

 pieces of bone united by cartilage, rendering them more 

 flexible than those composed with spines ; comprised in this 

 class are the salmon-trout, grayling, carp, sucker, herring, 

 catfish, white-fish, shad, menhaden, cod, flounder, etc. 



The third and last class, cartilaginous fishes, are those 



having gristle in place of bone in their whole framework. 



In this division are some of the largest and most powerful 



of the inhabitants of the great deep. Behold among them 



26 



