Correspondence. 



265 



Quere. Are aU these f 3. FISTULARINA. 

 Ctenodians of A- 



gassiz 



\ 



PLEURONEC- 

 TINA. 



1 



5. CLUPEINA. 

 Abdominales, Cuv. 



Bones of the jaws free and 

 complete. Operculum dis- 

 tinct. Operculum, andpre- 

 operculum generally with 

 smooth edges. 



Ventral fins, when existing, 

 inserted under the pecto- 

 rals, and directly sus- 

 pended to the bones of 

 the shoulder. 



Ventrals suspended behind 

 the pectorals, and not at- 

 tached to the bones of 

 the shoulders. 



Normal Group. 



MALACOPTE- 



RYGII. 



Artedi. 



Spines in dorsals 



soft. 

 Quere. Are all these 

 Cycloidians of 

 Agassiz ? 



Observation. — The Balistina by the confluence of the bones of their 

 jaw, and by the tardy induration of their skeleton, evidently lead off to the 

 Sturgeons, with which they agree in having their free branchiae opening 

 by a perforation in the skin behind the temple. The Fistularina evident- 

 ly lead off to the Lophobranchii by Fistularia. Unfortunately, I have 

 not been able to find a near character to separate Fistularina from 

 Percina ; but they are natural groups, because each forms a circle_ 

 The following groups appear to be nearly those into which the above 

 tribes may be naturally divided : — 



1. Balistina. 2. Percina. 3. Fistularina. 



Chaetodontidae. 1. Scombridae. 

 Percidae. 2. Fistularidae. 



Scorpaenidae. 3. Gobioidae. 

 Cirrhitidae. 4. Lophiadse. 

 Sparidae. 5. Labridae. 



5. 



1. 

 2. 



3. 

 4. 



5. 



Balistidae? 1. 



Ostraciontidae ? 2. 

 Cephalaspis? Aga. 3. 

 Orthogoriscidae 1 4. 

 Diodontidae ? 5. 



4. Pleuronectina. 5. Clupeina. 



1. Anguillidae. 1. Siluridae. 



2. Echeneidae. 2. Cyprinidae. 



3. Cyclopteridae. 3. Esocidae. 



4. Pleuronectidae. 4. Clupeidae. 



5. Gadidae. 5. Salmonidae. 

 Observation. — I do not believe the above places of the families of 



Balistina to be correct. Besides I only know four. I shall say little 

 therefore respecting them, except that I suspect some undiscovered 

 family of BALISTINA leads off to the genus Monocentris, among the 

 Scorpaenidae. I shall begin therefore with the true PERCINA and 

 the family Scorpaenidae. The following are the probable genera of 



