▼I 



OSSEI, OR BONY FISHES.— THE SQUALIDS. 



(loisal fill small, lliiii, and narrow ; tlie pectorals are 

 also Binall, but sliyhtly rounded ; and the tail corre- 

 sponds to the latter both in size and shape. 



The most remarkable species, however, is the Foli- 

 ated Pipe-fish {Sijn<jnathus foUalus), closely resembling 

 the Dog-fish in general appearance, but exceeding it 

 considerably in length. Its characteristic feature is, 

 the large leaf-shaped appendages attached to the back, 

 tail, and abdomen, on very strong, rough, square spines, 

 or processes. These, but for the regularity of their 

 respective proportions, might easily be mistaken for the 

 leaves of some kind of fuous adhering to the spines. 

 The animal's body is throughout of a dutky-olive colour, 

 thickly sprinkled everywhere, except on the follicle 

 appendages, with small circular spots of white, and 

 bearing on the abdomen a kind of metallic lustre. The 

 fins are soft, tender, and transparent. The Joliated 

 I'ipe-fish is a native of the Indian seas. 



The Little Pipe-fish {Si/nf/nathus nphklion) is about 

 five or six inches long, nearly cylindrical, and tapers off 

 to a point. It is found in the British seas. 



OSSEI, OR BONY FISHES. 



I. Plectngnatlii, or fishes in v-hich the tipper Jaw is 

 attached to the cranmm ; from vXiXTii, interlaced, or 

 bound together, and yvdhi, a jaw. 



This order includes the natural families character- 

 ized by what may be called the offensive and defensive 

 armour of their jaws. They are the Gymnodonta 

 and the Sclerodermata. 



In the former the jaws have no apparent teeth, 

 wliich are represented by a kind of ivory beak, or bill. 

 To this family belong the Sun-fish {Tetraodon), and 

 the Globe-fish {Orthagorisais mold). The latter is 

 distinguished from the former by its compressed spine- 

 less body; the former, bristling all over with slightly 

 projecting spines, which keep off their enemies, and 

 wound the fisherman's hand if he attempts to seize them. 

 Tlie Snn-fish, moreover, possesses the singular faculty 

 of being able to inflate the lower part of their body, 

 until it assumes the outline of an expanded ball, in 

 which the real shape of the animal is lost. 



The Globe-fish is remarkable for its phosphorescent 

 qualities. At night it glows beneath the watery surface 

 like a disc of silver light, and may be seen swimming 

 in the soft radiance which flows from its body, the 

 lustre rendered undulating by the motion of the waves 

 which it traverses, so as to resemble the tremulous 

 glory of the moon when ]iartly veiled by misty vapours. 

 Ilcnce it is sometimes called the Moon-fish. It abounds 

 in the Mediterranean, where it attains the length of 

 about thirty inches. 



The Diodons resembles the Globe-fish in its nature, 

 structure, and habits, but diifers from it in the confor- 

 mation of its ivory jaws, each forming a single piece. 

 Apparently it possesses a couple of teeth; whence its 

 name, from big, two, and obovi, tooth. Its spines, 

 moreover, are larger than those of the Sun-fish. It 

 may be described as the hedgehog of the sea, and, like 



the hedgehog, can inflate its body and crest its spines, 

 which are at once its offensive and defensive weapons 



Belonging to this same remarkable family are the 

 File-fish {Ballstes, an inhabitant, with the exception 

 of one species, of the trojiical seas ; and the Cotfers, 

 or Ostracions, whose habitat is the Indian Ocean and 

 the American waters. 



The former has a compressed body ; its jaws are 

 furnished with eight teeth, arranged in a single row on 

 each jaw, and covered with true lips. Its eyes are 

 placed almost on a level with its skin. It has a small 

 mouth, and a body enveloped in very hard scales, 

 which are connected in groups, and distributed in more 

 or less regular compartments, strongly connected by 

 means of a thick skin. The animal is thus incased in 

 an almost impenetrable coat of mail. 



Of the Trunk, or Cotfer-fish {Oatracion), it is enough 

 to say that it is distinguished from all the other denizens 

 of the Ocean world, by the bony crust or covering in 

 which it is enveloped, while the spines also difi'er from 

 one anotlier in certain peculiarities of form. The head 

 and body are covered with bony plates, so welded 

 together as to form an inflexible cuirass; only the tail, 

 fins, mouth, and a small portion of the gill-opening, 

 are cajiable of motion — these movable parts passing 

 through apertures in the armadillo-hkedefensive armour. 

 The vertebrae are fixed together in an equally compact 

 fashion. There are no ventral fins, and tlie dorsal 

 and anal are small, and placed far back. There is 

 little flesh, and what there is cannot be praised for its 

 flavour; but the liver is large, and abounds in oil. 

 The surface of the body is often covered with spines. 

 In some the body is triangular, in others quadrangular. 



II. Lophuhranchu : fishes in which the upper jaw is 

 movable, and the (jills are arranged in circles, like bent 

 hoops. From Xopos, a crest, or tuft, and ^^dyyja,, 

 a gill. 



The fishes of this order consist of two genera, the 

 Sijngnathus and the Hippocampus — the Pipe-fish and 

 the Sea-horse. 



SQUALID^. 



The Dog-fish {Scyllium calulus) is from two to 

 three feet in length, with a large head ; the snout pro- 

 minent and slightly pointed ; a rough skin ; general 

 outline of the body cylindrical ; the colour a brownish 

 grey, slightly tinted with a dusty red, and maikcd with 

 very numerous spots of brownish black ; the belly 

 whitish, and very smooth. At its full growth this fish 

 weighs about twenty pounds. It is very voracious, 

 devouring great quantities of fish, and it does not hesi- 

 tate to attack the fishermen, and especially bathers 

 in the sea. On our British coasts it abounds, and in 

 some parts of Scotland it is eaten by the poor ; but ita 

 flesh is hard, and has a disagreeable musky odour. Its 

 rough skin is used, under the name of " fish skin " i.nd 

 " shagreen," by joiners and other artificers in polish' ng 

 various substances, and also for covering spectacle- 

 cases and similar articles. 



The Small-spotted Dog-fish {Scyllium canicula) 

 closely resembles the preceding, but the upper part o( 



