ACANTHOPTERYGIANS. 125 



neath. They visit in summer our sea-coasts in great abundance, and 

 afford as large a supply of fresh and salt fish as the herrings. Some- 

 times they may be seen at other seasons; those which are caught in 

 the early part of the spring are well known, in the sea-ports of 

 France, under the title of Sansonnets. The Common Mackerel has 

 no natatory bladder ; but, and it is a singular fact, that organ is found 

 in several other species, so similar to it, that some attention is neces- 

 sary to distinguish them ; such are the little Mediterranean Mackerel, 

 Sc. colias; Sc. pneumatophorus, Laroche, Ann. Mus. XIII; and 

 the Sc. grex, Mitch. Ann. New York Lye. I, 423, which is some- 

 times seen on the coast of the United States, in countless numbers, 

 &c* 



Thynnus, Cuv. 



The Tunnies have round the thorax a sort of corslet formed by scales 

 larger and smoother than those on the rest of the body; a cartilaginous 

 carina between the two little crests on the sides of the tail; the first dor- 

 sal extends so far as to be very close to the second. 



Sc. thynnus, L. (The Tunny). This is the large fish which has 

 been taken in the Mediterranean, from a very antient date, and by 

 the astonishing abundance in which it is caught, and converted into 

 oil, salt fish, &c, constitutes a great source of wealth to Provence, 

 Sardinia, Sicily, &c. It is said to attain the length of fifteen and 

 eighteen feet, and has nine spurious fins above, and as many beneath ; 

 the pectorals are one-fifth of its whole length. Several neighbour- 

 ing species inhabit the Mediterranean, which have hitherto been but 

 badly distinguished. 



Sc. brachypterus, Cuv. ; the Alicorti, Rondel., 245, and Duham., 

 Sect. VII, pi. vii, f. 5. Pectorals but one-eighth of the whole 

 length. 



Sc. thunina, Cuv.; La Tonine, Aldrov. 315; Descrip. de l'Eg. 

 Poiss. pi. xxiv, f. 5. A brilliant blue marked with black lines, un- 

 dulated and curved in various ways, &c. It is also in this first 

 group that we must place the 



Sc. pelamys, L., Lacep. II, xx, 2. (The Tropical Bonita, or 

 Rayed-belly Tunny). Four longitudinal blackish bands on each 

 side of the belly-f-. The 



Orcynus, Cuv. 



The Germons only differ from the Tunnies in the extremely extended 

 pectorals, which are one-third of the entire length, and reach beyond the 

 anus. 



Sc. alalonga, Gm. ; Germon of the Biscayans ; Alalonga of the 

 Italians; Duham. Sect. VII, pi. vi, f. 1, under the improper name 

 of Tunny; Willoughb. App. pi. x, f. 1, is taken in the Mediterra- 



* Add, Scomber vernalis, Mitch, loc. cit.; — Sc. canagurta, Cuv., Russ. 136. 

 t Add, Sc. coretla, Cuv., Sloane, Jam. I, 1, 3; — Davgiri mangclang, Renard, I, 

 Kxvi, 189. 



