that's it 5 



less clothed with bony plates, 2, 3, 

 arranged in longitudinal rows ; 

 the back, 4, and head, 5, are 

 i 



337. 



armed with large, strong, "bony 

 tubercles ; the snout is long, and 

 attached beneath, near the tip, are 

 four long worm-shaped cirri, 6 ; 

 the pectoral fins, 7, are attached 

 underneath and behind the head, 

 in the situation usually occupied 

 by the ventral ; while the dorsal, 

 8, the ventral 9, and the anal, 10, 

 are all situated near the tail, 11, 

 which is lobed, or slightly forked. 

 The flesh of the sturgeon is white, 

 delicate, and firm, and, when 

 baked, resembles veal. The stur- 

 geon was in high repute among 

 Greeks and Romans, but it is 

 less esteemed now. A large 

 species, found chiefly in the Black 

 and Caspian Seas, attains the 

 length of twenty or twenty-five 

 feet, and have been known to 

 weigh nearly 300 lbs. From this 

 species we obtain that valuable 

 article of commerce known as 

 isinglass; and the roes, salted and 

 preserved, form a condiment called 

 caviare, which is much esteemed 

 in Eastern Europe. 



The trunk-fish (Ostracion), 12, 

 differs materially from the stur- 

 geon, not only in its outward 

 form, but in the fact that its 

 body is completely enveloped with 

 bony plates, of regular form, sup- 

 plying a perfect coat of armour ; 

 while in the sturgeon the horny 

 tubercles are irregular, and only 



partially distributed. Even the 

 tail is enclosed in a bony tube, 14, 

 and the joint of the pectoral fin is 

 covered by a horny plate 15; there 

 are also similar plates protecting 

 the attachments of the dorsal and 

 anal fins, 16, 17. The pectoral 

 fins, 15, and the caudal, 18, are 



358. 



the only moveable parts of the 

 body. These fishes are of small 

 size, and are found only in the 

 seas of warm climates. 



We have examined several of the more re- 

 markable forms of fishes. Let us now con- 

 sider the habits and instincts of some remark- 

 able individuals of these interesting tribes. 



The fifteen-spined stickleback 

 (Gasterosteus spinacid), 1, ap- 

 pears to resemble birds in the 

 l 



359. 



care it bestows upon its eggs, 

 and in attention to its young. 

 The male, 2, takes possession of 

 some particular spot, and con- 

 structs a rude kind of nest, 3, by 

 drawing the branches of sea- weeds 

 and corallines into an inter- 

 mingled mass, which it fastens 

 by a slender, silky-looking thread. 

 In this the female, 4, deposits 



