OF FISHES IN GENERAL. ^ 



cartilaginous, and fp'mous. * ; which, as far as it goes, 

 feerhs iinpoilible to be altered for the better f. Ronde- 

 letiusy the firft naturalift, who, after the revival cf learn- 

 ing, turned his attention to tliis fubjedl, attempted to laj 

 afide the Arijloteliati diviiion, and to fuflitute, in its 

 room, another, founded upon the habitation of flihes, or 

 thofe places where they refidtr. He, accordingly, claiTed 

 them into the fillies of the fea^ rivers and lakes f . Since, 

 however, many fifties refide indifcriminately in all thefe 

 iituations, this method was abandoned by Willoughhy 

 and Ray, who again refumed the arrangement of Ariflotle ; 

 and, the celebrated Lhinceiis has added to it fome fartheir 

 fubdivifions, which render it Itill more ufeful. 



The cetaceous fiflies have, in the later editions of liis 

 works, been claiTed among the quadrudeds ; the car- 

 tilaginous have been referred to the amphibious tribes, 

 among which they conftitute a particular order § ; while 

 t]\Q fpinous or bofij, are alone allowed to retain the name 

 pijiJJjes. 



As we have already hinted, that we are to pafs by, or 

 but (lightly mention, fome fpecies enumerated by tliat 

 naturalift, whofe manners are not irrterefting, or but ira- 

 perfeftly kno\vn ; fo, on the other hand, we iLall re- 

 llore to their natural itation among the finny tribes, 

 the cetaceous and cartilaginous fifhes, which he hai ba- 

 fiifhed from that pi^rt of the animal kingdom. 



The grand clailical characters, which nature has im- 

 printed on the cetaceous order, will, in a philofophical 



view, 



* Hift., Animal. 



f The Jirjl comprehends the ivhalc kind ; the fecond, thcfe whofe ufh is 

 fiipported by . rtilrges ; and the thjnf, thofc whole mufcks arc fupportecj 

 hyjpL:r' or 60 -y matter. 



I Marrm, FltiviatiUs^ and Lacitjlres. 



§ Amhhihla K^ntia, Lin. Syft. Nat. Ed. 12. 



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