t)f FISHES IN GENERALo g 



were «11 that the afTidaitj of the ancient naturallfts 

 had difcover-'d. 



During the decline and fall of the Roman empire, at- 

 tention to ichthyology, as well as to every other part of 

 literature, was entirely laid afide ; nor did the perni- 

 cious efFecSts of the Gothic iiivafions, allow it to be re- 

 fumed, till the year 1524, when Fauhis Jovias*, an 

 Italian writer, gave an account of thofe fifties, that were 

 known to the ancient Rovians. After him, various local 

 hiflorians appeared. Belonius and Rondelctius fucceeded 

 each other in defcribing the fifties of the Mediterranean j 

 •while Sivinjieldi Marcgrave, and Catejby^ gave, fucceffive- 

 ly, an account of the fifties of Sikfia^ Brnjil, and the Caro-^ 

 Unas. • 



While ichthyology was thus enrLched by hifl;orians of 

 pai'ticular diftricls, there were other naturalift;s, who 

 engaged in this fcience in a more general and fyftematic 

 manner. The Honourable Francis Willovghhy publifli- 

 ed, in 1686, a hiftory of fifties, which is fliil deemed 

 jone of the moll valuable upon this fubjeci:. He was af- 

 terwards followed by Artedis and Ltn?ueus, who carried 

 the fcience to a greater degree of perfection, than it had 

 ever hitherto attained. 



If we take into account the vaft: number of fifties, of 

 which the very names have not yet found a place in the 

 fyflems of naturaliftis, we muft neceflarily conclude, that 

 this part of fcience, is Hill In its infancy. Some very 

 Ikilful ichthyologifts alTert, that there are to be found in 

 the different colle6lions of fifties about London, fix hund- 

 red kinds not enumerated by Linnaeus j and we may^ 

 perhaps, eafily admit, that there are yet, in the un- 

 fathomable depths of the ocean, at lead an equal num. 

 A a ber, 



• Pcpifcibus Romanis, 



