M% MACKREL CORYPHENE. 



colour bright silver, tinged with brownish blue oti 

 the back, and with a deeper cast of the same on 

 the top of the head, where it is accompanied by 

 a gilded tinge : all the fins are entirely brown 

 except the ventral, which are white on the exterior 

 sides, while the pectoral are slightly gilt : the lower 

 jaw is longer than the upper, and both are beset 

 with such a number of small teeth in a reversed 

 direction, that the fish may be suspended by intro- 

 ducing the tip of the finger into the mouth : the 

 tongue is large, and shaped somewhat like the 

 human nail -> and on its middle is a squarish rough 

 bone : the gill-covers consist of two large, smooth, 

 and rounded laminae : the lateral line is marked by 

 several undulations, which decrease as they ap- 

 proach the tail : the ventral fins are united at their 

 base by a membrane communicating with a longi- 

 tudinal furrow beneath the belly, and in which the 

 animal can at pleasure conceal them : they consist 

 each of five or six rays : the dorsal fin reaches from 

 the back of the head to the tail, and is scalloped 

 towards that part, so as to bear a resemblance to 

 the small or spurious fins in the Mackrel tribe ; the 

 vent fin is of similar structure : the lower part of 

 the tail is bounded by a sharp carina. Vast multi- 

 tudes of these fishes were observed by Commerson to 

 follow the French ships for many days together : 

 they appeared to prey chiefly on young flying- 

 fishes, which at intervals sprang around the ships- 

 like so many butterflies, which they scarcely sur- 

 passed in size. 



