4 CLASSIFICATION OF FISHES. 



ber it is deeply cleft in the middle ; and even in such 

 as have it continuous^ it frequently happens that there 

 are a few detached spines^ with or without a membrane, 

 which may be said to represent the first dorsal. In 

 other respects there is to be found, in this order, a much 

 greater variation in the form and construction of the 

 dorsal fin than in that of the Malacopteryges : in this 

 latter there are no instances of some of the hinder rays 

 being separated into finlets, as in the Scomber id(S ; or 

 the anterior rays prolonged into several slender fila- 

 ments, as in the ZeidcE, or dories ; or the dorsal so ele- 

 vated as to act as a saU, as we see in some of the sword- 

 fish (^XipMdcB) ; not to mention several minor modifi- 

 cations of this fin which are altogether peculiar to the 

 present order. Finally, we may remark, as another of 

 the secondary characters by which the two orders are 

 separated, that in none of the soft-rayed genera are the 

 dorsals partly covered with scales, — a structure which is 

 very prevalent in many of these hereafter described; 

 for although the fins of the GadidcB are thick and 

 fleshy, they do not appear to be covered by a con- 

 tinuation of the scales of the body, as those of the 

 ChcstodonidcE and their numerous representatives. 



(3.) On the natural history, properly so called, of 

 the spine-rayed tribes we can say but little, and that 

 little must be of a general nature. Beautiful and inter- 

 esting as they are, either by their form^ or colours, or 

 uses, the inaccessible haunts they frequent, impenetra- 

 ble to the eye of man, effectually shrouds the history of 

 their habits and economy from our research ; while, to 

 be merely told that such and such a fish is good for food, 

 when dressed in such and such a way, has ever appeared 

 to us trifling and unnecessary. We have never met 

 with a fish which was not good for food ; for although, 

 after one trial, we could not eat young sharks or frog- 

 fish (^CMronectidae\ the former are relished by the Si- 

 cilians, and the latter, as we are told, are eaten by the 

 negroes of Pernambuco. There is, undoubtedly, a 



