THE WRASSE. 221 



the requifites for that prooefs are found to belong to 

 them. Their food alfo is of fuch a nature, that after the 

 firll comminution in the mouth, it has no farther occa- 

 lion to be brought back there to undergo a fecond mafli- 

 cation. Pliny indeed afTerts, that the fcari eat grafs and 

 weeds ; which, if true, would give a fliew of probability 

 to the rumination of tiiefe fitbes ; but unhappily the fadi", 

 in mofl kinds of thefe fiflics, feems as ill founded as the 

 opinion which it is adduced to fupport f . 



Belon feems to have adopted the notion of pliny^ as 

 far as the food of the fcarus is concerned; for he ailerts, 

 that it is only found around the ifiand of Crete^ the fea 

 in other parts not producing the marine plant upon 

 which it fublifts. Gefnei\ and feveral of the ancients, 

 believed that this fpecies, as well as fome others, enjoyed 

 intervals of deep in their fubaqueous retreats ; an afTer- 

 tion which receives no credit from the conformation of 

 the eye ; which being deprived both of eyelids and si 

 fiiftating membrane, cannot polubly be ibut |. 



T^he Scams 5[. 



1 HIS animal is of a reddilb livid colour, covered with 

 broad tranfparent fcales, and diftinguiftied from every 

 other fifli, by certain prominent and tranfverfe appen- 

 dages on each fide of the tail. The mouth is not very 

 capacious, but Itored with obtufe teeth j thofe upon the 



fore 



f Plinii. Hift. Nat. uLi fupra, f Gefncr cle riftib, p. I0I9, 



% Scarus, Belonli. Labrus Cretcnfif, Lin. Syft. 



