FISHES 283 



cephalus), Dace (Z. vulgaris), and Minnow {L. pkoxinus); Tench 

 {Tinea vulgaris); and the Common Loach {Nemachilus barba- 

 tulus), a small elongated slimy fish, with mouth on the under 

 side of the head and a fringe of six barbels round the edge 

 of the upper jaw. 



5. Herring Family. — The fishes of this family are mostly 

 marine, and are found in the shallower parts of the sea all the 

 world over in tropical and temperate regions. Although not 

 distinguished by number of species, they are unsurpassed among 

 fishes in the number of individuals, these often swimming 

 together in vast shoals, which partly accounts for their very great 

 commercial value. The body is of the typical fish-shape, and 

 much laterally flattened, especially on the under side, which 

 may form a sharp edge, often with a saw-like margin and some- 

 times supported by small bony plates. Fatty fin and barbels 

 are absent. The head is naked, but the rest of the body is 

 covered by thin glittering scales, which are easily detached. 



The Herring {Clupea karengus) abounds in the North 

 Atlantic, North Sea, and Baltic, and is also found in the Black 

 Sea. The Pilchard (C pilchardus) ranges from the Mediter- 

 ranean round to the English Channel, and when young is the 

 familiar Sardine. The Sprat (C sprattus) abounds on the west 

 coast of Europe and extends into the Baltic and part of the 

 Mediterranean. 



6. Eel Family. — The snake-shaped fishes belonging to this 

 family have a wide distribution through both the seas and fresh 

 waters of tropical and temperate regions. The pelvic and 

 sometimes the pectoral fins also are absent, and the dorsal, 

 caudal, and anal fins all form a continuous fringe. The skin 

 is either entirely devoid of scales, or numerous very minute 

 scales are imbedded in it. 



The Common Eel {Anguilla vulgaris) (fig. 165) has pectoral 

 fins and minute scales. It has a wide distribution throughout 

 Europe, the countries bordering the Mediterranean, and North 

 America. The large marine eel known as the Conger {Conger 

 vulgaris) is found in almost all parts of the world, and is distin- 

 guished from the Common Eel by the entire absence of scales, 

 and its large mouth armed with formidable teeth. The maximum 

 length appears to be about 8 feet. The Mediterranean Muraena 

 {Murcsna helend) is the typical representative of a widely-distri- 



