244 CLASSIFICATION OF FISHES. 



hend, from the definitions in the Regne Animal, the 

 greater part of the sub-divisions of the old genus Cha- 

 r acinus, proposed by its learned author, — a genus which 

 is really abolished, although nominally retained. Wc 

 are obliged to make this exposition of the utter insuffi- 

 ciency of such characters, in justification of our opinion, 

 so often expressed and acted upon, on the secondary va- 

 lue of M. Cuvier' s dental system, and of the inconsis- 

 tency, seen in the examples just quoted, of employing and 

 rejecting such characters in two genera absolutely placed 

 close to each other. To act in opposition to high sci- 

 entific authority, without assigning reasons, implies not 

 only great presumption in the dissentient, but contempt 

 towards his predecessors. 



(218.) On taking a comprehensive view of all those 

 genera which accord, more or less, with the characters 

 assigned to this numerous division, and placed in it by 

 M. Cuvier, we shall have no difficulty in determining 

 that Salmo, Characinus (Artedi), Xiphostoma, and Ster- 

 noptyx are the most prominent or dissimilar types of 

 form among all those which have an adipose dorsal : to 

 these, for reasons which will afterwards appear, we shall 

 add Sudis, placed by M. Cuvier between Amia and Os- 

 teoglossum (Vandel.). We shall now endeavour to assign 

 to each of these their determinate characters, and to 

 assemble the minor groups under those to which they 

 appear most allied. The two typical divisions appear 

 to be Salmo and Characinus ; while the three aberrant 

 are here considered as Xiphostoma, Sternoptyx, and 

 Sudis. 



(219.) The genus Salmo, with its subordinate types 

 or sub-genera, first claim our attention. In this group 

 we include all those divisions of Cuvier, whether they 

 are called genera or sub-genera, which more or less agree 

 with the general structure of the salmons, chars, and 

 trouts of Europe. On generalising the characters of 

 these fishes, it will be observed that the body is of a 

 lengthened oblong shape ; the head small, and the 

 muzzle narrow and rather pointed, without being length- 



