432 DESCRIPTION OF THE MUSEUM. 



From the lophobranchia we pass to the fifth 

 order, which comprehends the greatest number 

 of the fresh water fish, and of which the first 

 family is that of the salmon. This very nu- 

 merous genus has been divided into many sub- 

 genera, according to the form of their teeth. 

 We have forty-four species in the cabinet : every 

 one knows the salmon, the trout, the smelt, the 

 grayling salmon, etc. Amongst the foreign spe- 

 cies we shall only notice the piraja (salmo 

 rhombeus), which lives in the rivers of South 

 America, and seizes with its sharp teeth the ani- 

 mals which bathe in the rivers. 



The second family, that of the clupece, com- 

 prehends a great number of sea and river fish. 

 The principal part of those which inhabit the 

 sea go up the rivers to deposit their spawn. 

 This family has been divided into eight genera ; 

 we possess forty-three species. The first genus 

 is that of the herrings, divided into seven sub- 

 genera by M. Cuvier. We have nineteen species 

 of the first division, to which belong the shad, 

 the herring, the sprat, etc. Among the six others 

 is the anchovy, of which we have six species, 

 differing from the herrings in the lengthened 

 form of the snout. The most remarkable of 

 the migalopes is the king-fish of the Carribee 

 islands (clupea cjprinoides } Bl.) ; the beautiful 



