rr 



impossible lo take it in any other way than with the seine or a ve- 

 ry strong hook, the prongs of the gig cannot pierce the scales 

 which are as hard as flint, and even proof against lead balls! Its 

 flesh is not good to cat. It is a voracious fish: Its vulgar names 

 arc Diamond fish, (owing to its scales being cut like diamonds) 

 Devil fish, Jack fish, Garjack, Sic. The snout is large, convex 

 above, very obtuse, the eyes small and black, nostrils small 

 round before the eyes, mouth beneath the eyes, transversal with 

 large angular teeth. Pectoral and abdominal fins trapezoidal. 

 Dorsal and anal fins equal longitudinal with many rays. Toil 

 obtusely and regularly bilobed. The whole body covered with 

 large stone scales laying in oblique rows, t'.cy arc conical, pen- 

 tagonal, and pcntaedral with equal sides, from half an inch to 

 one inch in diameter, brown at first, but becoming of the col- 

 our of turtle shell when dry: they strike fire with steel! andare 

 ball proof! 



THIRD PART APODIAL FISHES. 



Having complete gills, with a gill cover and a branchial 

 membrane. No lower or ventral fins. 



XXX. Genus;. Eel. Anguilla. An ^uille,. 



Hody scaldgss, elongated. Mouth with sm all tcclh. P^o- 

 Icval fins. Dorsal and anal fins very long and united .with the 

 caudal fins. Vent nearly medial. Gill covers bridled. 



It is -remarkable that there is only this apodial genus of fish,' 

 unci not a single jugular gcuusvia. tjie.Okio, .whiig. J ^er$.are so 

 many abdominal and thoracic geueca. . The Eejs of the^Ohio 

 of which I have already ascertained four specias belong all to 

 ♦ he subgenus Conger, having the jaws nearly equal. and ob- 

 tuse. T-hey are purmancm, but rare, and reach a large size. 

 They arc taken with the hook, seines, Sec Tuey feed on brnall 

 iishes, shells, and lobsters, and afford a good food. 



92d Species. Broadtail Eel. Jlnguilla laticauda. An* 



guille largequeuc. 



.Black above, white beneath, head flattened, jaws nearly equal, 



.thc-upper somewhat longer, obtuse and broad, Dovsal fin be* 



ginning above the pectorals, whicii arc small and obgval; late* 



t 



