60 
ROOM XI. 
Nat. Hist, 
lirely covered with a hard coat, formed of angular 
scales. 
The family of Salmons ( Salmonidce ) has, like most 
of the Siluri , a soft, false, rayless, hinder dorsal fin, 
but the body is covered with regular scales. They 
principally ascend rivers to spawn. They are voracious, 
prey on insects and small animals, and their flesh fur¬ 
nishes some of the greatest delicacies of the table. 
This family has been divided into several genera, ac¬ 
cording to the form and presence of the teeth, and the 
position of the fins. The several species of true 
Salmons (, Salrno ), which have usually a spotted body, 
are most esteemed in Europe, and the fish of certain 
streams and lakes are especially preferred. 
Some species, as the Capelan {Salmo groenlandicus), 
are so abundant as to be used as bait in the Cod Fish¬ 
eries. In one genus {<Saurus ), the mouth is very large, 
and the edge of the jaws, the palate, and tongue is co¬ 
vered with large, very long and flexible, barbed teeth. 
Cases 5 and 6. The family of Herrings {Clupeidce) 
have a scaly body like the Salmons, but no soft dorsal 
fin, and their upper jaw is formed in the middle-by the 
intermaxillary, and on the sides by the maxillary bones. 
Many of these fishes live in large shoals, which period¬ 
ically visit particular parts of the coast, and several of 
them ascend the rivers to deposit their spawn. With 
the Herrings are placed the Gar-Fish, or Bony Pike 
{Lepisosteus ), which has many of the characters of the 
Pike, with the structure of the head of the Herring-. 
The body is covered with a case formed of square 
scales, almost as hard as stone, and the two outer 
rays of the tail and of the other fins, are fringed with 
similar scales. They live in the warm parts of South 
America, and afford good food. 
The second division of this order contains those 
fishes whose ventral fins lie immediately under the 
pectorals. It contains three families, distinguished 
by the shape of the body. 
The Cod-Fish family ( Gcididce ) have a lance-shaped 
body, 
