74 
SILUEUS. 
The body depressed and rounded on its anterior part, oomnresBed 
behind; mouth wide, with several long barbs; giU membrane with 
rays not less than four; no scales on the head or body. A sinde 
narrow dorsal fin; the first ray of the pectoral armed with a strona 
spme; caudal fin separate. Abdominal fishes. ^ ® 
SHEATFISH. 
SLY SILURUS. 
Mustela hwrhata, 
“ it 
SUm'us glanis, 
(t ft 
The. Weis, 
JoNSTON; Table 28, f. 7. 
WiLLoueHnY; p. 128, plate H. 5. 
Linnaeus. Cuvier. Bloch ; pi. 34. 
Yaebell; Br. Pishes, vol. i, p, 461. 
Dh. Gusihee; Fisherman’s Magazine 
No. 8, p. 365. 
There appears little reason to doubt that the Silurus of 
Tliny, (B. 9, c. 16.) and consequently the Glanis of Aristotle 
IS the same with the Silurus glanis of Linmeus; but it is still 
uncertain whether it has ever been found in the British Islands, 
from the enormous size it sometimes attains it could not have 
remained with us without having been discovered, and therefore 
if found at all, it could only have been as a wanderer from 
the Continent of Europe, in the lai-ger rivers of which it is 
known, although not in abundance, for it is said to be not 
exceedingly prolific. In the Danube, and the larger rivers of 
the north ol Europe, it is well known; but it is more rare in 
Sweden, although it is met with even in Norway. According 
to Nilsson, in these northern countries it never reaches the 
same size as in Germany. Pliny says it is a fish of the Nile 
and also of a lake out of which the Nile flows: a remarkable’ 
