184 ACANTHOPTERYGII. LABRID^E. 
swimming bladder is present, simple in structure, I 
strong, and large. 
About five hundred species are comprised in 
this Family, of which just one-fifth are European: | 
the remainder are scattered over the shores of }! 
both hemispheres, most abundantly between the j 
tropics. Around the spicy islands of the magni- 
ficent Oriental Archipelago, among the number- 
less kays and rocks of the Caribbean Sea, and 
especially in the clear and tranquil lagoons that 
abound in the corah girt islets of the Pacific, the 
Wrasses, or Rock-fishes are exceedingly numerous, 
generally of small size, but of the most vivid 
colours. It is delightful to glide along in a boat 
over the surface of these calm waters, and peep 
down into the rocky chasms below, through an 
element scarcely less transparent than the air 
above ; to see the corals and madrepores growing 
in a thousand fantastic forms, mimic shrubs of 
contorted slender branches, irregular wavy folia- 
tions, honey-combed masses of delicate laminse, 
all of stone ; great round brainstones with sinuous 
meandering furrows, all full of life; broad sea- 
fans of yellow and purple waving to and fro ; 
sponges of curious shapes, and other forms of 
animal existence at its very lowest scale. Over 
these semi-animate masses other creatures are 
crawling ; sea-urchins with long spines all quiver- 
ing and vibrating with irregular and independent 
motion ; star-fishes, with snake-like, slender tails ; 
and beautiful shells half enveloped in the soft 
fleshy mantle that glows with rainbow tints, as 
each slowly creeps along. Twining about the 
tufts of living stone, now hiding in the cavernous 
recesses, now emerging, are seen multitudes of 
