192 



MEDITERRANEAN PROVINCE. 



mined species, and it was there shown that the 

 Madeira fishes occupied a somewhat intermediate 

 place between our assemblage and that of the Medi- 

 terranean, and that they were less tropical in their 

 aspect than the latitude of the island would lead 

 us to expect. 



There is a peculiarity with reference to these 

 Madeira fishes, which is still more striking when 

 those of the whole of the Canaries are taken toge- 

 ther, and which may be noticed here. Those dili- 

 gent collectors, Messrs. Webb and Bertholet, sub- 

 mitted to M. Valenciennes upwards of 1 1 species 

 of fishes from those islands ; amongst these are to 

 be found such forms as Priacanthus boojos, Beryx 

 decadactylus, a genus poor in species ; Pimelepterus 

 incisor, Caranx analis, and Coryphoena equisetis. 

 With some few exceptions of this kind, namely, of 

 common forms which serve to connect the two sides 

 of the Atlantic, the fishes of the Canaries are mainly 

 such as are also met with in the Mediterranean ; 

 with this difference, however, that certain species 

 which are scarce in the Mediterranean are common 

 about the Canaries, and of these many range down 

 the African coast as low as the Cape, and also in 

 advance of it — as to Ascension and St. Helena. 



When the extended migration of certain fishes is 

 considered, it will not, perhaps, be thought strange 

 that the two sides of the Atlantic should have some 

 few forms in common, even as low down as between 

 the Canaries and the Brazils ; but it is well ob- 



