302 PISCES. 



part; a ihigle dorsal, wliidi oxtondy ili'^ Vvholf k'ngtli of llic liack, uJtli tlcxihle rays l);e ^Yho)e len^rn, 

 Imt the anterior ones not jointed; and they have seven rays in tiie gills. The following arc thu &uo- 

 genera : — 



CuniplhViii', the Curyjihene, ijn)]H.'rly so callrd, ]ia\'e tlie head inneh ele\'atcd ; the profile cur\'c(l, find nesrciulin;^ 

 rapidlj' ; they have tL'i_th in the paliite, as \\ ell a^ the jaws. They are lar^-'e and siilendidly-co!oured h^he^, cele- 

 hrated for the velocity of their motions, and the liavoc which they commit among- the Flying; Fishes. [C hipparis, 

 tliG Common Coryphene, is found in the Mediterranean and Atlantic. It is a brilliant fish, and drives through the 

 water like a radiant meteor. Its lon^ dorsal is sky-hhic, ■\'\ith llif lays gold-coloured ; its tail-fin gre^n ; its hack 

 L';i-een, niotlh'd with orange ; and it.s belly silvery, divided tVoni tlie former by a yellow lateral line. As it passes 

 ;ilong, however, there is on extraordinary play of colours upon it ; and it is one of the fishes with the changes of 

 ^^l]0^r■e colours, when dying, the luxurious Romans used to gloat their depraved fancy. Some of the Indian species 

 are brighter coloured than this one ; and, indeed, all the Scomlierida; have a tendency to g^et blackish in the cold 

 seas, and brilliant in the warm ones, owint;; to the greater effect nf the solar light in tht* latLer ; fur the .suidieain 

 is Nature's pencil, ilown even to the deei-est fish or pearl shell]. 



Ciiraii < ainm-rs, {\\[Xyv from Cm|-\ plieue in lia\iiig ilii.- head oblong", and less elevated, anil the rye in a niedinm 

 liosltinn. ( 'rnfro/i'/i/ics, has no terth in thi-" pnhite, and a plain space between the occiput and the dijrsul. [(.Mie 

 spncies, the Black Fish, C. ji"i//j'i/ii/.i, occasionally wanders from the JNiediterranean to the southern slioix'^. of 

 Uritain. It is a powerful unIi, ;ind not easily caught, but its flesh is much esteemed. It feeds partially on some 

 sea-weeds, but chiefly on other lishf'S.] 



Asirodcrmiis, has the head and dnrsal like the Cnryphene, hut Ihe nionlh '-mail, iVnn- rays in the gills, and the 

 ■\entrals very small HI the ttiroat. The srali'S are thinly scattered over the body, ananireil into stars, hence tlie 

 name. Only one sjieeies is known, which inliabits (iie IMeditcrrmiean ; is ?alveiy. spotted with black, and has a 

 very long dorsal. The fms are rei.l. 



Pterar/is, teeth ami head like the Coryjihene, but the scales larger; ventrals on the throat small; dorsal and 

 anals as high as the li.sh. 



[Such are the leading genera and suhgencru ol' the Mackerel family, one of the most numerous and 

 splendid in the class.] 



TIIE EIGHTH FAMILY OF THE ACANTIlOPTERYriH. 

 T-KNiD-E (Uibbon-ihaiied). 



This fandly is closely allied to the Mackerels, its hrst genus agreeing intimately uitli the last sub- 

 genera of Scomber. Tlie fishes composing it are long, llattcncd on the ;.idcs, and have very small 

 scales. One tribe lias tlie muzzle elongated, tlie moutli dec]dy elefl, with sinmg trenehaut teeth, ami 

 t!;c lower ja\y ]irojccting beyond the upper. This tribe cnntains only two genera. 



Lepidnjni.i, the Scabbard-fish, or Scale- foot— from the form of the ventraLs, which :ire merely two scaly plates. 

 Tlie body is thin and elongated, with a dorsal above, and a low anal beneath, terminating; in a well-formed caudal. 

 The gills have eight rays ; the stomach is long, with more than twenty cceca near the pyrolus ; and the air-bladder 

 i'i long and slender, with a glandular body attached. One species, L. ariji/reus, occurs from England to Southern 

 Africa, but is not plentiful. It is sometimes five feet long, hut it is rare. [It swims with exti-eme rapidity, and 

 often with the head above water. It has no scales on the body, except the two which occupy the place of the 

 ventral fins.] 



Trichiiinis, Hair-tail. The body, mu2/,led jaws, and ti>eth like Uic last, and a dorsal extending along the hack; but 

 no ventral, anab or caudal fins, excepting a few obscure little spines on the under side of the taib which terminates 

 in a hair-like point; there arc seven rays in the gills ; the stomach is long and thick ; the intestines striped with 

 numerous ccKca ; and their air-bladder long and simple. Viewed laterally, they resemble beautiful silver ribbons. 

 There are several species of the Indian Ocean, and one at least of the Atlantic. [One, 7\ L'-pturus, called by 

 snnie the Blade-fish — in contrast, we suppose, to the Scabbard-fish— occurs occasionally in various parts of the 

 Pritish seas. It is shining silvery, with greyish-yellow fins; the dorsal mottled with black on the edge; the 

 iiides are golden]. Some of the Indian Trichiuri have been described as having electric or galvanic properties, 

 but such i^^ not the fact. 



A second tribe cumprchcuds genera which lia\c the mouth small, and little cleft. 



Ci/mueinis, has the body elongated, and flat, without an anal fm, but with a long dorsal, a caudal composed of 

 fr\v rays, and ventrals under the yiectorals, which are fibrous, with small expansions at their extremities, but both 

 they and the anterior of the dorsal are liable to be broken. The fishes themselves are very icudtr, their bones 

 S(t(t, their fins easily rent, and their flesh soon decomposed. They occur in the Meilitcrranean, the liLdian, the 

 Atlantic, aiel the Arctic Seas. Some of them are ten feet in length. [Two .species have occurred in the British 

 seas:— G. Jhnrho'.Kii, iiii the coast of CornwaU, and '/. frrcfinis, on some of the northern coasts ; but the last 

 species is not very satisfactorily made out, as the tenderness of the fish causes it to be mutilated almost the in- 

 stant it is stranded.] 



Sliilepliorm, has a caudal fin, as in the last, but shorter ; and instead of the tail ending in a hook in the middle 

 of the fin, aw it docs there, it is pioduced in a filament longer than the body. 



