12 CLASSIFICATION OP FISHES. 



genera Lepidotus, TricMurus, Ammodytes, OpMdium, 

 Szc.^, all conspire to evince their analogy to the apodal 

 order. The most hideous fishes in creation are the 

 ScorpanincB (as the genera Synancia, Pelor, &c.)j and 

 the Chironectes, or frog-fish, the first being part of the 

 typical Cantkileptes, and the latter of the Plectognathes ; 

 while, if we wish to see this analogy more conspi- 

 cuously worked out, we have only to look to the mailed 

 groups of the TriglidcB in one, and the BalistidcB in 

 the other. Lastly, we have the flexible rays of the 

 fins, and the viviparous nature of the sharks, represented 

 in the BIen7iides, — characters which are not found in any 

 other of the typical osseous fishes. 



(9.) In placing these analogies before the reader in 

 the present stage of our inquiry, we have anticipated the 

 results which come out of the subsequent exposition of 

 the series of affinity. We hope, therefore, he will 

 understand this, and not suppose, as some of our yomig 

 disciples have done, that in this and other of our tables, 

 those groups are put opposite each other which have 

 the greatest similitude, without a due regard to the 

 order in which the divisions of each column follow in 

 the order of aflinity. This is so far from being the 

 case, that each of these groups have been previously 

 analysed almost down to the sub-generic types of form ; 

 and this will be rendered apparent not only in the 

 following chapters, but much more so in the scientific 

 arrangement of the class at the end of the volume. 



