288 CLASSIFICATION OF FISHES. 



juices : upon what authority, however, this is made a 

 frugivorous fish does not appear, and the supposition 

 seems to us highly improbable. The great size of the 

 pectorals, when compared with the ventrals, is worthy 

 observation ; as also the interruption (if it really is so 

 in nature) between the dorsal and the caudal : this we 

 have preserved in the figure, which is reduced from that 

 given by Spix ; but we suspect that in a perfect state this 

 interval is filled up so as to render all the three fins 

 continuous. 



(244.) The next genus which we place as aberrant, 

 is Odontognathns, arranged by Cuvier close to Pristo- 

 gaster: that there is some sort of relation between the 

 two is very obvious; but whether this is of strong ana- 

 logy or absolute affinity we do not know. The only 

 figure existing of this strange-looking fish is that of 

 Lacepede's, which Cuvier says has been taken from a 

 badly preserved specimen : this we can readily believe, 

 since the maxiUaries are represented as assuming the 

 appearance of two porrect horns in front of the mouth, 

 — a structure which no fish can possibly have; and yet 

 the size and form of these maxiUaries appear to be so 

 different from those of P)'istoga-ster, that we are induced 

 to think the resemblance is only analogical, — the more 

 so, as these maxiUaries are stated to be ^^ armed with 

 small teeth directed forward," of which no instance is 

 known to exist in Pristogaster, where the mouth is very 

 small, and the teeth altogether wanting. The mouth 

 must be completely vertical ; the anal fin is almost 

 united to the caudal ; and the dorsal is so smaU and 

 brittle as to be '' almost always obliterated." Only one 

 species is known, which is rather smaU,much compressed, 

 and comes from Cayenne. In the third and last aber- 

 rant division we place two sub-genera, Chirocentrus Cuv. 

 and Hyodon: these, although somewhat different from 

 each other, may be immediately distinguished from aU 

 the other types of this family by their numerous teeth, 

 but more particularly by the very backward position of 

 the dorsal fin, which is almost as near the caudal as in 



