The Hifiory ^ANIMALS. 
jaw a Angle fhort cirrus or beard 5 the upper jaw falls over this at the end of the nof- 
trils, and have each a double aperture : the lamina of the gills is deeply lerrated at the 
edges, and in the extremity of the lower jaw there are three large foramina : the tail 
is nearly even at the end : the firft divifton of the back fin has nine or ten prickles 5 
the other divifion has twenty-four rays, but only the firffc of them is prickly: the pec¬ 
toral fins have each fifteen rays; the belly fins have only fix3 the firft of them fhort 
and aculeated: the pinna ani has eight rays, and the firft of thofe alfo is aculeated. 
This fpecies is frequently caught in the gulph of Venice 3 the antients were very well 
acquainted with it. Ariftotie calls it Sxiava; /Elian, Oppian, and Athenaeus, ; 
Bellonius calls it Chromis3 the generality of the Latin writers, Umbra; Gefner and 
Aldrovand call it Umbra marina 3 Paulus Jovius, Umbrina j Salvian, Coracinus 3 Jon- 
fton, Sciasna five umbra j Pliny, Sciena 3 and the Venetians call it Corvo, 
Scicena ex nigro varia pinnis ve?itralibus nigerrimis. 
The blackifh , variegated Scicena. with the belly pits black. 
The head of this fpecies is large, and the opening of the mouth much larger than 
in any other of this genus: both jaws are furnifhed with ftrong teeth, but the palate 
and the tongue are fmooth : the noftrils have each a double aperture 3 the anterior one 
is round, and the pofterior oblong, and they are fituated about at a middle diftance be¬ 
tween the eyes and the extremity of the head : the back is elevated, and the belly is 
fomewhat flatted : there are a number of oblique lines of various colours on the body ; 
the general colour, however, is an olive fo deep, that it approaches to black : the la¬ 
teral line runs parallel to the ridge of the back : the firft divifion of the back fin has 
eleven rays in it 3 the fecond has twenty-four 5 the pinna ani has nine rays, two of 
which are prickly 5 the pedtoral fins have each feventeen rays, and the ventral ones 
only fix, the firft of thefe only is aculeated: the tail is nearly equal at the extremity, 
and is turned naturally upwards. 
This fpecies is frequent in the Mediterranean 5 the Greeks were well acquainted 
with it. Ariftotie, /Elian, Oppian, and Athensus call it Kopaxu/^ ; Rondelet and 
Gefner call it, Coracinus niger and Coracinus albus 3 the Italians call it Umbrino and 
Corvodi fortiera. 
P E R C A. 
i ' * 
T H E fcales of the Perea are hard and rough to the touch, or are armed with a 
kind of little points at their extremities: the upper lamina of the coverings of 
the gills is ferrated at the edge 3 there are fometimes two fins on the back, and fome- 
times there is only one: the branchioftege membrane on each fide has feven bones. 
The difference of the back fins, in this genus, is fo confiderable, that it parts the 
fpecies into two divifions. 
PER C /£. 
Divifion the Firjl . 
Thofe which have two fins on the back. 
Perea lineis fex utrinque nigris tranfverfis^pinnis ventralibus 
rubris . 
The Perea , with fix black traitfverfe lines on each fide , and 
with the belly fins red. 
T HIS grows, in fome places, to a foot and a half in length, but it’s more ufual 
fize is about eight or nine inches in length 3 it is confiderably thick, in propor¬ 
tion, and the fides are lie (by and prominent: the back is elevated, and fomewhat acute 3 
the belly, ail the way from the head to the anus, is flat: the head is compreffed 3 the 
two jaws are equal in length, but the upper one, when the mouth is fhut, falls a little 
way ovei the other : the opening of the mouth is immoderately large, and both the 
U u u * jaws 
