THE CENTRONOTIDiE AND ZEINiE. 37 



compressed : its great singularity, however, consists in 

 the snout being prolonged, as is that of the sword fish, 

 considerably beyond the mouth_, the tip being armed with 

 cartilaginous prickles. There are only a few species of 

 small size found in India. Notocanthus has been placed, 

 we think with much propriety, close to these fishes, for 

 both have long bodies, or rather tails, and the back 

 armed with a number of detached prickles. These types 

 evidently represent one of the sub-families, and we have 

 therefore called them the Notoganthin^. 



(36.) The ZEixiE form the next, and a remarkably 

 interesting group, eminently distinguished by the rhom- 

 boidal, and often nearly orbicular, shape of their bodies, 

 their very small mouth, and the falcate shape of their 

 dorsal and ventrals, which gives them all the appearance 

 of ChcBtodons divested of scales. These latter appendages, 

 indeed, except in the genus Zeus, are so small as not to 

 be perceived, and appear to be hid under a soft satin- 

 like skin. Some of these fishes are as grotesque and 

 singular in theu* shapes as their prototypes, the ScorpcenidcB, 

 but they have all one character — a deeply lunated tail, 

 and generally long falcate pectorals; although very broad, 

 they are sometimes so remarkably thin, that they are 

 scarcely looked on as articles of .food. The major part 

 were associated by the older writers with the true Zeus, 

 and even M. Cuvier, although he has separated them 

 into groups, still leaves the true dory and the Capros 

 with them. Both these genera, indeed, although not 

 typical, seem to be the most aberrant division of the 

 whole, representing by their rough scales the gurnards, 

 and the other Canthileptes, in this theh* own circle. This 

 is manifested by the spiny processes on the back and 

 head of Zeus, and the hard ciliated scales of Capros* 

 The minute spines before the dorsal fin are only appa- 

 rent in Apolectus and Seridermis, the latter of which is 

 remarkable, among other peculiarities, for the enlarge- 



• We have equal scruples on the situation of Stromateus, which we have 

 removed to the CoryphcBnina., a situation which seems to be more natural 

 than that given to them in the Reg. Animal. 



D 3 



