ORDER I. BONY FISHES. ACANTIIOPTERYGII (SPINY-FINS). 147 
Sea-pikes, and MJudlus, the Surmullets. The first of these are powerful 
and savage fishes, with oblong heads and projecting under jaws. One spe- 
cies, SS. Barracuda, is as much dreaded, in warm seas, as the white shark. 
Mullus is a very celebrated genus, and was well known to the ancients. 
There are two species, the Striped Red Mullet and the Plain Red Mullet. 
They are beautiful fishes, and “the luxurious Romans used to feast their 
eyes on their changing colors, when dying, before they devoured their flesh.” 
Tue Harp-cnerexs.— The second family of Acanthopterygii is thus 
named on account of the singular appearance of the head, which is variously 
mailed or defended by spines and scaly plates of hard matter. There are 
several well-known genera, 
Genus TricLta.— The Gurnards. These fishes derive their name from 
the peculiar sounds which they utter on being taken out of the water. 
“They have the head vertical, armed on each side with hard and rough 
bones, two distinct dorsals, an air-bladder of two lobes, and extremely large 
pectorals, by means of which they are able to leap to a considerable height out 
of the sea. There are several species, among which the 7. euculus and 7. 
hirundo are much esteemed for the table, although the latter is somewhat dry.” 
Genus Prronotus. — This is a fish peculiar to this country, resembling 
“support the 
the former genus, but with pectorals so large that they can 
body during a considerable leap through the air.” 
Genus DacryLorrerus. —The fishes of this group have the sub-pec- 
toral rays numerous, longer than the body, and united by a membrane, 
by means of which they leap into the air to escape the pursuit of their ene- 
mies; but, as they cannot fly, they soon ‘fall back again to become the 
victims of their relentless foes. They belong to the Mediterranean and 
Indian Oceans; they are small fishes, not more than a foot in length. 
Genus Corrus. — The Bull-head. A depressed head, teeth in both jaws, 
the gill-lids furnished with spines, gills with six rays and large openings, 
bodies slender, and without visible scales, two dorsals, and small vertical 
fins are the distinguishing characters of this class. They frequent both the 
sea and rivers. The River Bull-head is said to evince the same parental 
affection for its ova as a bird for its nest, returning quickly to the spot 
where they are deposited, and being unwilling to quit it when disturbed. 
Genus Arrpornorus. —The Pogge. This is a singularly-formed fish, 
sometimes called the Armed Bull-head. The body is octangular, and coy- 
ered with scaly plates, and its snout is furnished with recurved spines. It 
frequents our rivers, and all the shores of the Northern Atlantic and Pacific 
Oceans. 
Genus Scorpana.—Some of the species are gregarious, having their 
