BRITISH FEESH-WATER FISH. 43 



London urchins, with their rush rods and pin hooks, exhibit 

 a skill and patience that might put more pretentious rivals 

 to the blush. 



On the whole, therefore, I deemed it advisable to adopt 

 the more complete form of arrangement ; and in the fol- 

 lowing pages will accordingly be found a notice of every 

 generally known species of fresh-water fish inhabiting the 

 British Islands. 



A few observations upon the classification of these, al- 

 though in some sense a repetition, may probably assist in 

 impressing it upon the memory of the reader. 



With one exception then — that of the Lamprey Family, 

 which are Cartilaginous* — the whole of our fresh- water 

 species belong to the Ist, or Bony, Series* of Fish. Of 

 these again the Perch and Bullhead Families are classed in 

 the IstOrder of that Series {Acanthopterygii* , 'spiny-finned ' 

 fishes), — ^the Burbot in the 3rd Order, Malacopterygii sub- 

 brachiati, — the Eels in the 4th Order (" footless soft-finned 

 fishes," or soft-finned fishes lacking ventral fins*), — and 

 all the others, including the great Carp, Salmon, and Pike 

 Families, in the 2n^ Order {Malacopterygii abdominales *, 

 or "soft-finned fishes having the ventral fins on the ab- 

 domen"). So that, in short, excepting the Lampreys, the 

 whole of our fresh-water fish are included in four Orders and 

 embraced in seven Families, as detailed in the annexed 

 Table. 



In this list, which includes the technical names of the 



* A full description of the distinguishing characteristics of the 

 various Series and Orders will be found at pages 36-39. 



