6 CATECHISM OF 



Q. Are not fish in general extremely prolific ? 



A. Yes; an eminent Dutch naturalist * has 

 said, that a single cod will produce nine millions 

 of eggs in a year, a flounder one million, and a 

 mackarel five hundred thousand. 



Q. Do fishes display any affection for their 

 young ? 



A. With few exceptions, fishes not only are 

 destitute of all tenderness for their young, but fre- 

 quently devour them with the utmost greediness. 



Q, Into what orders are fish usually divided > 



A. Linnaeus has divided this class of animals 

 into six orders: 1. Apodes ; 2. Jugulares; 3. 

 Thoracici ; 4. Abdominales ; 5. Branchiostegous ; 

 6. Chrondropterygious. 



Q. How may these several orders be distin- 

 guished ? 



A. The Apodes are without ventral fins ; C 2. In 

 the Jugulares the ventral fins are before the^ec- 

 toral ; 3, the Thoracici have the ventral fins under 

 the pectoral ; 4. the ventral fins of the Abdomi- 

 nales are behind the pectoral ; 5. The Branchioste- 

 gous are distinguished by gills without bony rays ; 



Ventral, . belonging to the bell}'. 

 Pectoral, . situated on the breast. 

 * Lewenhoeck. 



