SPINES OF THE SILURES. 329 



means provided by Almighty Wisdom for the defence. 



and consequent protection, of his creatures, should be 

 accompanied by injury, pain, or distress in its use. 



(^75.) The classification of this family, as it at present 

 stands^ is involved in greater confusion than it is to be 

 found, perhaps, in any one group of ichthyology. Several 

 of the subordinate divisions were pointed out by the 

 illustrious Artedi, the father of scientific ichthyology, 

 and were adopted by Linnaeus in the earlier editions of 

 the Systema Natures ; but, from a mistaken idea of 

 simphfication, which the celebrated Swede appears sub- 

 sequently to have conceived, he incorporated all these 

 genera under the common one of Silurus. In this, 

 however, he was not followed by either Gronovius or 

 Bloch, each of whom characterised several others. 

 Lacepede next separated the Pimelodes from the Siluris 

 but^by mistaking the true distinction of these two groups 

 and founding his primary character upon one of 

 secondary import, his arrangement, as will subsequently 

 appear, became artificial. All these, with two or three 

 additional divisions, were incorporated in the first edition 

 of the Regne Animal. It is somewhat singular, notwith- 

 standing the important additions since made to this fa- 

 mily — not merely in species, but in the discovery of new 

 and extraordinary types by Humboldt, Spix, Agassiz, and 

 Buchanan, as well as intimations of others in the French 

 Museum — that Cuvier should have merely noticed a 

 few of these discoveries in the way of incidental notes ; 



