LABRIDiE. 255 



The fourteenth family, or Labridse (so called from 

 the extensile lips of its members), is profusely distributed 

 throughout the waters of the Mediterranean, and in- 

 cludes almost all those lovely fish which render the 

 Italian pescherias so attractive to strangers coming 

 from the north. Nature has not conferred on the Labri, 

 says a French naturalist, either strength or power, but 

 they have received, as their share of her favours, agree- 

 able proportions, great activity of fin, and are adorned 

 with aU the colours of the rainbow :* two of the most 

 beautiful as well as commonest species of Labridse are 

 the L. turdus (maravizzu) and L. julis, rejoicing at 

 Naples in the extraordinary name ' cazzillo di re.' The 

 Scari form a genus by themselves, and worthily fill the 

 nook assigned to them by ichthyologists. 'II est pen de 

 poissons et meme d'animaux qui aient ete, pour les pre- 

 miers peuples civilises de I'Europe, I'objet de plus de re- 

 cherches, d'attention, et d'eloges que le scare.'t This 

 is very intelligible, as the eye and stomach alike con- 

 spired to pay it homage ; it looked lovely in the fish- 

 basket, and it was the most delectable of viands at table. 

 According to the Greeks, to do justice to its flesh was 

 not easy ; to speak of its trail as it deserved was impos- 

 sible, and to throw away even its excrement a sin : twv 

 oiiSe TO (TKcop de/MiTov eK^oKeiv. Nor were other rea- 

 sons wanting to interest the naturalist in behalf of this 

 fish. It was, according to Aristotle, the only species 

 that ruminated like a quadruped during the day, and 

 slept like the higher animals at night, — 



* ' Le feu du diamant, du rubis, de la topaz, de I'^meraude, 

 du sapMr, de Tamethyste, du grenat scintiUe sur leurs dcaiUes 

 polies : il brille sur leur surface en gouttes, en croissans, en raies , 

 en bandes, en anneaux, en ceintures, en zones, en ondes : il se 

 mMe a I'eclat de Tor et d'argent qui y resplendit sur de grandes 

 places, les teintes obscures, les aires pMes, et pour ainai dire 

 decolor^es . ' — LacSpide. 



f Laoepede. 



