6 CLASSIFICATION OP FISHES. 



flavouTj, except indeed the lances (Ammodytes), already 

 spoken of. The fisheries of the tunny and sword-fish 

 are as important to the South of Europe as that of the 

 herrings and cods are to the northern countries : the 

 capture of the mackerel^ also^ employs a large numher of 

 men^ and a considerable amount of capital ; and the 

 abundant supply thus brought to market gives a cheap 

 and wholesome food to thousands, '^'^^ith these excep- 

 tions, however^ the present order must yield, in point of 

 absolute utility, to that of the soft-rayed tribes, where 

 the salmon, cod, herring, and pilchard fisheries probably 

 supply food to one fifth of the habitable globe. 



(4-.) There is nothing peculiar in the geographic dis- 

 tribution of this class, when viewed collectively, for the 

 different tribes occur in all seas, and in all latitudes; 

 nevertheless, when we descend to particulars, we shall 

 find that a marked distinction is often presented between 

 those which respectively inhabit temperate, tropical, 

 or arctic latitudes. "With the exception of a very few 

 genera, the whole are strictly marine fishes, whereas 

 the largest proportion of the soft-rayed order are flu- 

 viatile : there is reason to believe, also, that the two 

 are further marked by this peculiarity, that while there 

 are many of the soft-rayed order which feed upon vege- 

 tables, the whole of the present division are entirely 

 carnivorous. As these are the only general observations 

 which can be apphed to a group so much diversified 

 as that now before us, we shall at once proceed to cha- 

 racterise its component parts. 



(5.) We arrange this most extensive order under five 

 primary divisions or tribes, to which we give the following 

 names and characters : — 1 . The Macroleptes, which 

 include the perches, the chsetodons, and numerous 

 other groups, having the gills, on one or more parts, 

 armed with spines or prickles ; the scales comparatively 

 large, well defined, and almost always smooth ; while 

 the bones of the head, and all the fins, are in an ordi- 

 nary state of development. — 2. The Microleptes, or 

 small-scaled tribe, at the head of which stand the two 



