282 NATURAL HISTORY 
fish: entire fishes of two inches and a half long have beeri 
found in the stomach. The skin is like parchment. 
Lanceolated Holocenter. (PI. 49.) The head is 
large, with a mouth in proportion; the bones of the lips 
are broad; the jaws are of equal length, and armed 
with several rows of little sharp teeth; as is the palate, 
but the tongue is smooth and moveable. The nostrils 
are double, the hinder pair near the eyes. Hereabout 
begin the scales, which are small, tender, and smooth. — - 
The pupil of the eye is black, iris blue. The front oper- 
culum is made of two small rounded plates, of which the 
hinder one is strongly serrated. The gills have a wide 
aperture, and one halt of the membrane is concealed. 
The body is broad, the belly prominent, and the anus in 
the middle of the body. The colour of the fish is sil- 
very with transversejstripes and spots of brown. The 
soft rays of the fins are mostly divided into four 
branches. This species is produced in the East Indies, 
and takes its name from the shape of the fins. 
On the coasts of Africa and America, and in the wa- 
ters of the East Indies, are found several varieties of the 
holocenter, which are remarkable for the brightness of 
their colours; and are known by the structure of their 
mouths to be carnivorous. They mostly prey on crabs 
and young fish, which they swallow whole. Their flesh 
is much esteemed by the natives, it being pleasant and 
wholesome food. 
Porcupine Fish. (PI. 49.) The head is small; the 
eyes large, with a black pupil and yellow iris: the nos- 
trils are near the eyes. The aperture of the gill is crescent 
shaped, and close to the pectoral fin. The back is of a 
bluish colour, sides and belly white. The fins are all 
short, with black spots ahd branched rays; and the body 
is covered with light and dark brown spots. The spines 
are longer on the sides than on the back and belly. 
This species is found not only in America, but in the 
Red Sea, and near the shores of Japan. At New York, 
where it appears only in the summer months, it goes by 
the name of goad-fish; and the natives fish them for 
amusement. They throw in a line baited with the tail 
