THE OSTRACIONo' 
* 4 ? 
Genus XI II Oflracion *. 
Ostracion is the generic name adopted by Linnet Us for 
uine different kinds of anomalous fifli which he has enu- 
merated, all inhabitants of warm climates, and all agree- 
ing in having the body covered with a bony coat of mail f. 
home of them want horns ; others have two, and foma 
lour: They are of various fliapes and li2.es, and 
from their appearance, hardly feem entitled to rank with 
this clafs of the animal kingdom. 
The fpecies here deferibed was fent from the Fuji In - 
dies, and is about fifteen inches long, and four deep : The 
forehead appears flat, and even coricave, on account of two 
large eye-brows that prejcct over it ; the eyes are about 
Un inch in diameter ; below them are the two ftnall fora- 
mina of the noltrils ; the mouth is hardly an inch in width, 
®nd furniflied with very minute teeth. The body is of a 
Quadrangular lhape, and moved by five fins ; of thefe, the 
tvv ° branchial are fquare, being two inches broad by two 
long : Refemblingt thefe, are other two fituated near 
t he tail, the one above and the other below ; the tail fin 
is three inches in length, by three and a half in breadth, 
'frbe whole body is covered with a cruftaceous fubftance, 
^fembling that of the pale blooded filhes of that order. 
* s cruft is ftrengthened and ornamented by a great 
T a number 
^flracxon prior Aldrovandi. 
* Natura:, genus 136. 
