96 



CLASSIFICATION OF FISHES. 



Order IV.— PoissoNS Carniers. 



Lepadogaster. 



Sjngnathus. 



Ostracion. 



Cycloptera. 



S'olenostome. 



Tetraodon. 



Uranoscopus. 



Pegasus. 



Diodon. 



Cottus. 



Fistularia. 



Orihagoriscus 



Batrachus. 



Aulostoma. 



Platystacus. 



TEenianotus. 



Centriscus. 



Loricaria. 



Synancee. 



Amphisile. 



Lepidoleprus. 



Scorpinus. 



Mormvrus. 



Polyodon. 



Malt he e. 



Balistes. 



Acipenser. 



Antennaire. 



Triacanthus. 



Xiphias. 



Ixiphius. 







Order V. — Poissoxs Sexsiers. 



Mureena. 



Petromvzon. 



Squalus. 



Chimjera. 



Eaia. 





(83.) The first circumstance that strikes the na- 

 turalist on inspecting these systems, is the different 

 plans upon -which they are constructed, and the separa- 

 tion they effect^ more or less, between groups which all 

 other naturalists agree in thinking are closely and inti- 

 mately united. Thus the genus Doras of Lacepede is 

 so closely connected to that of Loricaria, that it is almost 

 impossible to determine where one ends and the other 

 begins; and yet in the last table of these systems we find 

 they are placed in two different orders. On the other 

 handj the genera Acipenser and Xiphias are arranged 

 close to each other, without possessing, so far as we can 

 discover, any one indication of affinity. The merits of 

 every natural system can alone be judged of when the 

 principles it sets out upon are worked out in detail : 

 this done, the materials are before us for forming a cor- 

 rect judgment, whether the series appears to be that of 

 nature or of man. We quite agree Avith M. Oken, in 

 thinking that the primary orders of fish represent those 

 of vertebrated animals; arid every allowance should be 

 made for the imperfect labours of all who endeavour to 

 establish this most important law. But we must con- 

 fess our inabihty to make out what are M. Oken's views 

 on this subject ; and not being able to comprehend, we 

 have not adopted them. 



(84.) And now, having thus far proceeded in what 

 relates to ichthyology in general, we must attempt to 

 establish^ in some degree^ those primary laws of the 



