ANALOGIES OF THE BLENNINA;. 75 



having spinous and soft rays in the dorsal fin^ and two 

 or three in each of the ventrals : these are the typical 

 groups : the aberrant, as usual, contain but few species, 

 and those of very diversified forms. These we have 

 arranged under the genera Ophisomus Nob., Cirribarhus 

 Cuv., and Opistognathus Cuv. In the first, the ventrals 

 are almost obsolete, and are indicated by a single ray. In 

 the second, the mouth is cirrated and sub-vertical, the 

 loAver jaw being longest ; while in Opistognathus, which 

 opens a passage to the gobies (Go6M<«), the ventral fins 

 are. fuUy developed, and have five rays. These, however, 

 we must now leave, and confine our remarks to the 

 typical groups. 



(77.) The Blennines, or true blennies, as weU as the 

 CUnince, possess both spinous and soft rays to their dorsal 

 nn, but the two gToups may be immediately dis- 

 tinguished by this very remarkable character, that in 

 the blennies the spinous rays are always fewer than 

 those which are soft ; whereas in the ClinincB, the 

 very reverse of this proportion is invariably found. 

 From these beautiful and natural characters we imme- 

 diately obtain the analogical result of the BlenniruB 

 representing the malacopterjgious order, and the Cli- 

 nincB that of the acanthopterygious. The Ophisomince, 

 with their eel-shaped body and scarcely the vestige of 

 ventrals, represent the Apodes. Cirribarhus, having a 

 sub-vertical mouth surrounded with- cirri, and the 

 lower jaw longest, equally reminds us o£ Chiron ectes, the 

 type of the Plectognathes ; while in the blunt, very large, 

 and obtuse head and perfect ventrals of Opistognathus *, 

 we have a prototype of the Cartilagines. 



(78.) Leaving these analogies, however, for the pre- 

 sent, let us look more closely to the contents of the typical 

 sub-families j and first, of the Blennin^e. The genera, 

 with the exception of one [Chirolophis Nob.) have all 

 been designated by MM. Cuvier and Valenciennes. In 

 this light do we regard Salarias, Blennius, Myceodes, 

 Cristiceps, and Chirolophis ; while, from their slighter 



•" La tete grosse et large.'' — Valenc. N. H. des Poiss. ii. p. 498. 



