420 



ANATOMY OF VERTEBRATES. 



The intestinal canal is shorter in Fishes generally than in the 

 hjoher Vertebrates: in the Derinopteri,Plagiostomes, Holocephali, 

 Sturionidas, Paddle-fish, fig, 276, / to i, the Lepidosiren,' the 

 Flyino--fish, the Loach, the Garpike, the Wolf-fish, the Salmon, 



281 



282 



Abdominal viscera. Herring. CXVI. 



the Plerring, fig. 281, and the apodal fishes, it is shorter than the 

 body itself: in some of the above-cited examples the intestine 

 extends in a straight line from the pylorus to the anus, fig. 281, 

 c, e, f; in most fishes it presents two or three folds ; the Sun-fish 

 ( Orthar/oriscus) shows about six longitudinal ones : the intestine 

 is sinuous in the Sword-fish, fig. 282, e, f; concentrically and 

 subspirally wound in the Mullet, in which the convolutions are 

 numerous and form a triangular mass ; and it is in this fucivorous 

 fish, in the Chretodonts, and the Carp-tribe, that the intestinal 

 canal attains its greatest length in the present class. 



Witli a few exceptions, of which the 

 Dcrmopteri and the Lepidosiren are 

 cxamjjles, the intestines are divided 

 into ' small,' and ' large.' The begin- 

 ning of the small intestine, to which is 

 arbitrarily given the name of ' duode- 

 num,' fig. 278, (, fig. 281, c, e, is usually 

 wider than the rest of that di-sasion 

 of the canal : it receives the ducts of 

 the liver and pancreas ; and, in most 

 Osseous Fishes, that of the cajca, fig. 

 281, d, which are usually termed, from 

 their communication with, or devclope- 

 ment from, the commencement of the 

 small intestine, ' appendices pylorica\' 

 The termination of the small intestine 

 is commonly marked by a circular 

 valve. In the Bogue-brcam {Box 



Nxxin. pi. a.'i, lig.ii. 1 mid 2. 



». Xii.ln, 



