LAMPREYS. 
The family of the Lampreys is so far an aberrant order of 
fishes, that in their structure and some of their habits they 
make an approach to the annelid class of animals, or worms; 
so that they appear to occupy that intermediate ground by 
which those seemingly distant families of animals are brought 
into connection with each other, and thereby testify to a 
governing law in the all-creating mind, through which a high 
contriving wisdom has been pleased to unite all the classes of 
animated nature into one consistent whole. These, like other 
fishes, possess a brain and spinal marrow, and the bones of 
the spine run in a connected chain to the end of the body; 
but even in these particulars, in spite of the similarity, there 
is still a difference from the generality of fishes, as well in 
structure as in extent of development. Their mouths also are 
closed in a different manner, so as even to appear longitudinal, 
and their jaws are so unlike that it is only by analogy we 
can assign the same name to the bones. All the bones are 
remarkably deficient in their calcareous ingredients. The bones 
of the skull are loosely joined together, and in general overlap 
each other; and through the bodies of those forming the 
vertebral column, so soft is the substance inclosed within the 
rings, that an instrument may be made to pass through their 
length without meeting with an hindrance. Variations in the 
arrangement of the teeth are characteristic of the species; 
but if the particular habits of these fish were not known, 
their situation would appear the furthest removed from the 
possibility of being brought into practical use. This will be 
explained when we speak of the individual species; and we 
only remark in this place that both in their structure and 
position we judge them to be the representatives of the 
