THE CIRCLE OF THE GYMNETRES. 47 



for the general absence of the anal fin in the typical 

 divisions, while in those which are aberrant, the belly 

 is short and the anal almost united to the caudal. The 

 mouth is moderate, opening in an almost vertical di- 

 rection, and only provided with a few small teeth. 

 The scales, where they exist, are very thin and trans- 

 parent, while the colour of the body gives the idea of 

 its being overlaid with silver-leaf unburnished. The 

 eyes are very large, and the gill opening very wide : by 

 this latter character we may readily distinguish the 

 Cepola and ophidians from the true apodal eel-shaped 

 fishes, which in the form of their body they so much 

 resemble. 



(49.) The connection of this tribe to the last is ren- 

 dered wonderfully perfect by the genus Pteraclis in one, 

 and Astrodermus in the other : equally beautiful is the 

 passage which Ophidium opens on one hand to the Can- 

 thileptes, or gurnards (by means of Lepidolepris), and on 

 the other to the Gadidce, by the genera Phycis and Rani- 

 ceps. That singular fish called Stylephorus is no inapt 

 representation of the FistularidcB, and the other tubular- 

 mouthed types. Thus related, we may proceed to a 

 brief survey of the component parts of this tribe, whose 

 internal groups may be thus named and defined : — 1. The 

 Gymnetridce, where the ventral fins are either composed 

 of filaments {fig. 8.), without connecting rays, or obso- 

 lete, or entirely wanting. 2. The Trachypteridoe, having 

 the ventral fins perfectly formed, with connecting rays, 

 as in the generahty of fishes. These two are the most 

 typical divisions, and include all those genera where the 

 anal fin is altogether wanting. The remainder, or aber- 

 rant forms, as usual, are very few. Of the Pteraclidcs 

 and the StylephoridcBy we know not, at present, of more 

 than a single genus in each. The first {fig. 9.) has 

 the compressed silver-plated body of the Gymnetridce, 

 and the fins of the dolphins; yet their excessive breadth 

 is beyond all parallel, for they far exceed those of As- 

 trodermus. Stylephorus, again, is even a still more ex- 

 traordinary form, bearing perfect analogy to the pipefish 



