48 THE ANGLER-iS'ATUEALIST. 



great subordinate divisions : the soft-finned fishes on the 

 contrary are divided into three strongly marked Orders 

 founded upon the position, or absence, of the ventral fins ; 

 and to the first of these — Malacopterygii abdominales — the 

 whole of our soft-finned sporting fishes belong. 



Having decided, then, in which of these two principal 

 divisions any fish is to be classed, it remains only to deter- 

 mine its family and species. As regards the former no 

 difficulty whatever can be experienced, there being only 

 four families in all to which it can belong, and these being 

 clearly recognizable by the most obvious signs. To com- 

 mence with the Spiny-finned fishes : — As all the sporting 

 fish of this Order belong to one Family, the PercidcB^oi 

 which the Perch is the type — no mistake can possibly occur 

 as to these. The Soft-finned fishes are embraced in three 

 Families : the Cyprinida, of which the Carp is the type ; 

 the Esocidce, of which the Pike is the type ; and the Sal- 

 monidcB, of which the Salmon is the type. 



In regard to these Families, again, no difficulty can be 

 found, every species of the Salmon possessing the peculiar 

 characteristic of two back-fins, and no other species in the 

 same Order more than one, — the Pike, of which we have 

 only a single variety, being totally dissimilar from every 

 other family, — and the remaining species without exception 

 belonging to the Cyprinidse, or Carp Family. 



To decide with certainty, however, between different 

 genera, or different species of the same genus, requires 

 more minute observation and comparison, according to the 



