258 PISCES. ■ 



Mur. conger, L.; Bl., 155. (The Conger Eel.) Found in all 

 the seas of Europe; it attains the length of five or six feet and 

 the thickness of a man's leg; dorsal and anal edged with black; 

 lateral line dotted with whitish. It is not in much request for 



the table. 



3hir. myrus, L.; Rondel, 407.(1) The form of a Conger, but 

 remains smaller; it is known by spots on the snout, a band across 

 the occiput, and two rows of dots on the nape, all of a whitish 

 colour.(2) 



In some foreign Congers the dorsal commences even before 

 the pectorals, or at least on their base.(3) The 



Ophisurus, Lacep. 



Differs from the true Eels in the dorsal and anal, which cease be- 

 fore they reach the end of the tail, which is thus deprived of a fin, 

 and terminates like a punch. The posterior orifice of the nostril 

 opens on the very edge of the upper lip, and the intestines are simi- 

 lar to those of an Eel, a portion of them, however, extending into 

 the base of the tail beyond the anus. 



The pectoral fins of some are of the ordinary size; their teeth are 

 trenchant and pointed. 



Mur. serpms,'L.',Sdi\\'., 57. (The Snake Eel.) Six feet and 



upwards in length, and of the thickness of a man's arm; brown 



above, silvery beneath; the snout slender and pointed; twenty 



rays in the branchial membrane. From the Mediterranean.(4) 



In others the pectorals are so extremely small, as sometimes to 



(1) Myrus, a fish so called bj' the ancients, which some liavc considered as the 

 male of the Mursna; liondelet was the first who applied it to this species, which 

 is very distinct, althoug-h since Willughby, no one has properly described it but 

 Ilisso; no drawing has been made of it. 



(2) The Mediterranean produces otlier small species of Congers described by 

 Laroche and liisso under the names of Mur. bakarica, Lai'., Ann. du Mus., XHI, 

 sx, 3, or Mur. cassini, Risso, Mur. mystax, Lar., lb., XXIII, 10; — Mur. nigra, 

 Risso, p. 93. The Mur- strongylodon, Schn., 91, which is far from being a vai'iety 

 of myrus as that author supposes, should also be referred to them. — The Mnguille 

 marbr^e, Quoy and Gaym., Zool., Voy. de Freycin., pi. 51, f 2. 



(3) 3fur. talabou, Russel, 38; — Mur. savanna, Cuv., from Martinique; — the C. 

 a chapekt, Krusenst., V, Ix, 7. 



(4) This is doubtless the place of Mur. ophis, Bl., 154, Ophis hyala, Buchan., 

 pi. V, f. 5; — Ophis longmuseau, Quoy et Gaym., Zool. Voy. Freycin., pi. li, f. 1; — 

 Ophisurus guttat us, Cuv., a new species from Surinam. 



N.B. The CoGRus, Rafin., Nov. Gen., p. 62, must be Ophisuri without bran- 

 chial membranes; we fear there is some mistake in this as in his Echzlcs. 



