MALACOPTERYGII SUBRACHIATI. 255 



has the appearance, externally, of being a simple dorsal hump; 

 there are three ranges of thick conical tubercles on each side 

 of it. It feeds on Medusse and other gelatinous animals, parti- 

 cularly in the North. Its flesh is soft and insipid; heavy and 

 with scarcely any means of defence, it becomes the prey of the 

 Seal, Shark, See. The male is said to keep careful watch over 

 the fecundated eggs.(l) 



LiPARis, Arted. 



A single dorsal which, as well as the anal, is rather long; the 

 body smooth, elongated, and compressed behind; 



Cycl. liparis, L.; Bl., 123, 3, 4. Inhabits the coast of 

 France. (2) 



EcHENEis, Lin. 



This genus, as well as that of Pleuronectes, might form a particular 

 family in the order of the Malacopterygii Subrachiati. The fishes 

 of which it consists are remarkable for a flattened disk placed upon 

 their head, composed of a certain number of transverse, cartilagin- 

 ous larainse, directed obliquely backwards, dentated or spiny on their 

 posterior edge, and movable, so that by creating a vacuum between 

 them, or by hooking on to various bodies by means of the spines, 

 they are enabled to attach themselves firmly thereto, a circumstance 

 which gave rise to the fabulous saying, that the Remora possessed 

 the power of suddenly stopping a vessel in the middle of its swiftest 

 course. 



Their body is elongated and covered with small scales; there is a 

 small soft dorsal opposite to the anal; the top of the head is per- 

 fectly flat; the eyes are on the sides; the mouth cleft horizontally 

 and rounded; the lower jaw projects beyond the other and is fur- 

 nished, as are the intermaxillaries, with small teeth resembling 

 those of a card; a very regular range of delicate teeth, that may be 

 compared to cilia, runs along the edge of the maxillaries, which 

 form the external border of the upper jaw; the anterior edge of the 



(1) The Cyclopterus pavonius is a mere variety of age of the vulgaris. The 

 Cyclop, gibbosus. Will., V, 10, f. 2, appears to be the vulgaris badly stuffed. Add 

 the Cyclop, spinosus, Schn., 46; — Cyclop, minutus, Pall., Spic, VII, iii, 7, 8, 9; — 

 Cyclop, ventricosus, Id., lb., II, 1, 2, 3? — Gobius minutus, Dan. Zool., CLIV, B. 



(2) It is the same as the Gobio'ide smyrneen; Lacep., Nov. Com. Petrop., IX, 

 pi. ix, f. 4 and 6, and probably as the Cyclop- soiiris, Lacep., IV, xv, 3, and per- 

 haps as the pretended Gobius, Dan. Zool., CXXXIV; — Add Cyclop, montagui, 

 Wern. Soc, I^^v, 1; — Cyclop, gelatinosus. Pall, Spic, VII, iii, 1; — Gobius, Dan. 

 Zool., CLIV, A. 



