14 
GKEY AIUELET. 
five hours, after which it is pressed between two boards and 
dried in the sun by day for thirty or forty days, or by some 
it is dried in smoke. It is supposed to sharpen the appetite, 
excite thirst, and heighten the relish of wine. 
Ihis fish grows to the length of eighteen or twenty inches, 
and will sometimes weigh from twelve to fifteen pounds. The 
body thick and solid, but compressed at the sides, the head 
wide and flat on the top, compressed on the cheek. In one 
that measured eighteen inches in length the greatest depth was 
four inches. Eye moderate, lateral, round, in a line with the 
angle of the mouth. The gape narrow; jaws equal, the lower 
bent up at the middle to form a keel, which is received into 
a cavity in the upper jaw; both jaws are capable of some 
degree of extension; the teeth so fine that they are not always 
to be discovered, hair-like, closely set, with their points set in 
a crenated line. Lips membranous or fleshy, with raised fleshy 
lines in two rows, except at the symphysis of the upper lip; 
a slight roughness on the tongue and a small portion of the 
vomer. The mystache or maxillary bone separate from the 
fleshy lip, turned back near the eye. The body covered with 
firm scales, which extend over the cheeks. First dorsal fin 
begins at about midway between the upper lip and root of 
the tail, with four firm rays; second dorsal removed from the 
first by more than the length of the former, with nine rays, 
the first simple and slight. Anal fin opposite the second dorsal, 
and rather longer, with eleven rays, of which the third is the 
longest. Pectoral fin broad and high, w'ith sixteen rays. Six 
rays in the ventral fin, the first simple. Caudal incurved, with 
fourteen rays, besides two or three false rays. 
The colour on the back is a dark bottle green, which, when 
out of the water soon fades into grey; lighter on the sides 
and belly, with broad lines of a deeper colour running towards 
the tail, varying, but about seven in number, cheeks and 
border of the pectoral fin tinged with yellow; iris of the eye 
dark brown. Large well-marked facial nerves pass forward 
near the angle of the mouth, to be distributed and afford 
special sensation to the upper lip and its raised Hues. 
