BALI 
?t agrees with the laft in the firft dorfal fin, the ventral fin, 
and the teeth; and with the fir ft in the roughnefs of its 
belly, which alfo it can inflate. This fill) is found in the 
Eaft Indies and Jamaica. Jt grows feven or eight inches 
long, and lives on infects and aquatic worms. According 
to Ruyfch, the fleflt is dry and ill-tafted ; but it is good 
when halted, therefore it is never.eaten frelh. It is called 
ikan /upas in the Ealt Indies. 
c 3. The biculeatus, or two horned balifies. This genus 
is eafily diftinguifhed by the two prickes which (apply the 
place of ventral fins. There are thirteen radii in tlte pec¬ 
toral fin, one in the ventral, and feventeen in the anal, 
twelve in the tail-fin, four in the firft- of the back, and 
twenty-three in the fecond. The body is long, fomevvhat 
rough to the touch, and rather thicker than the lad fpecies. 
The head terminates in form of a hog’s fnout; the mouth is 
final 1; jaws of an equal length, with twelve pointed teeth 
in the upper and ten in the lower. The eyes are large, ob¬ 
long, and placed near the top of the head ; the pupil is 
black, the iris a clear.green. The aperture of the gills is 
narrow, and placed near the peftoral fin. The (ides and 
belly are white ; but the back is grey. The lateral line is 
very clearly perceptible in this fpecies, which begins above 
the eye, runs in a parallel direction with the back, and 
forms a bend near the tail-fin, into which it runs. The 
two prickles (or horns) are long, and toothed on both 
fides; and there are two furrows to receive or hide them 
occalionally ; juft before thefe holes or furrows is a black 
fpot. The firlt dorfal fin is black ; all the reft yellowifh ; 
the tail fin is long and forked. The ftrufture of its mouth 
fhews it to be of the voracious kind. 
4. The aculeatus, or prickly baliftes. From two to 
five rows of (harp prickles, which are found in the tail of 
this fifh, are the true characters which diftinguifli this from 
the other baliftes. There are fifteen radii in the peftoral 
fin ; thirteen in the ventral, twenty-three in the anal; three 
in the firft of the back, and'twenty-five in the fecond. The 
prickles bend back, and prick the fingers in palling the 
hand from the tail to the head. The number of prickles 
is not equal in all thefe fifh, nor the number of them in 
each row. The body is large, and thicker than the pre¬ 
ceding; and its furface, which is rough to the hand, is 
divided into diamond-fquares, which are covered with 
final 1 round excrefcences. The head is round, terminat¬ 
ing in a blunt point. Above the lips is a blue ftripe ; and 
there are four of the fame colour above the eyes, and three 
beneath. The eye is round, the pupil black, and the iris 
of a gold-yellow. Juft oppofite the eyes are the noftrils, 
which are fmall and round. Between the peftoral fins and 
the laft blue ftripe appears the opening of the gills. There 
is a reddiftt ftreak from the mouth to the firft blue line. 
The fides are brown above, and a faint yellow below. 
From the middle of the fides are extended behind the pec¬ 
toral four brown ftripes which ornament the belly. Un¬ 
der the belly is a ftrong dentated ray, under which are fe- 
veral fliarp points, and it may be confidered as a ventral 
fin. The lateral line is not vifible in this fifh. The fins 
are all fhort; the firft of the back is black ; the reft are of 
a reddiftt brown, but grey at the extremities ; the firft ray 
of the dorfal fin is large') and toothed before. This beau¬ 
tiful fifh which we have correftly fhewn in the plate, is an 
inhabitant of the Eaft Indies, and particularly of tfie Red 
Sea. Forfcltel fays the flefh is of an ill fmell and bad tafte. 
Willoughby is the firft writer who has fpoken of this fifh. 
5. The vetula, or old wife, is- diftinguifhed by a Angle 
ventral fin, and three prickles in the firft dorfal fin. There 
are two radii to the membrane of the gills, eighteen to the 
peftoral fin, twenty-eight to the anal, fourteen to that of 
the tail; three to the firft of the back, and twenty-nine to 
the fecond. This fifh is large, but thin, rough to the touch, 
and the feales are divided into fmall trapeziums. The 
head is of a moderate lize compared with the other baliftes. 
The aperture of the mouth is fmall, with ten cutting 
teeth in the upper jaw and twelve in the lower. The lips 
are ftrong, and edged with blue. There are two ftripes 
1 
S T E S, */,* 
of blue on the cheeks, three under the eyes, and eight 
above ; thefe laft feem to come out of the eyes as out of a 
cave. The pupil of the eye is black ; and the iris, which 
furrounds it, is red. The aperture of the gills is above 
the pectoral fin, and farther off than in other fifties of the 
fame kind. Before the eyes is a little hollow place, where¬ 
in are two fmall apertures. The trunk is compreffed on 
the two fides ; and the body is a brownifh yellow, with 
fome ftripes of a blue green. The fides are yellow ; the 
chin and belly grey. Near the ventral fin are three rows 
of prickles. The lateral line is not vifible. The anus is 
in the middle ot the body. The tail is furniflied with blue 
ftreaks near the anal fin, which incline to green as they 
approach tlte tail. The anal fin is grey, with blue ftripes. 
The tail fin has yellow branching rays, and a beautiful • 
blue border ; the two outer rays of this fin are very long, , 
and give it a pleafing form. The dorfal fins are bluilh ; 
tire ray of the firft is very ftrong, and toothed before ; be¬ 
hind this ray is a furrow in the back, deftined for its re¬ 
ception. The fecond dorfal fin is fickle-(haped, and orna¬ 
mented with many blue ftripes : it has forked rays, as well 
as the peftoral and anal .fin. This fi!h is found both in the 
Eaft and Weft Indies. Marcgrave found it at Brafil, 
Brown near Jamaica, Plunder in America in 17 0 N. iat. 
Ofbeck faw it at China, and Valentine at Jappn. At a dif- 
tance it looks like a bream. It grunts or grumbles when 
taken, whence fifhermen have given it the name of old 
wife ; it is called alfo the file-jijh. It grows to a confider- 
able fize. It lives moftly at the bottom of the water, and 
feeds upon oyfters and other ftiell-fifh. It is taken with a - 
hook. According to Marcgrave, it is only eaten broiled, 
as otherwife the flefh has a bad tafte. This fifh alfo can 
inflate the belly. The ftomach is large ; the inteftinal ca¬ 
nal has two bendings ; the liver is of a pale yellow ; thin, 
and confiding of two lobes, one large, and the other fmall 
The gall-bladder is fmall; the fpleen bluilh. The air-, 
bladder, which is united to the diaphragm, is a ftrong thick 
membrane. In this fifh we find neither roe nor eggs; there¬ 
fore we cannot determine whether it is oviparous or vivi¬ 
parous. 
6. The maculeatus, or fpotted baliftes, is diftinguifhed ’ 
by the large anal fin, and the two prickles of the firft dor¬ 
fal fin. There are fourteen rays in the ventral fin ; twen¬ 
ty-one in the anal, twelve in the tail, two in the firft of the • 
back, and twenty-four in the fecond. This fifh is thicker 
than the preceding. The furface is alfo divided into dia¬ 
mond-fquares, with little protuberances or warts. There 
are round blue fpots all over the bread, back, and tail. 
The head is fmall in proportion to the body; the mouth is 
very narrow ; jaws of an equal length, with twelve point¬ 
ed teeth in each. Clofe to the eyes is a long hollow place, 
above which are the noftrils. The pupil of the eye is black, 
furrounded with a fea-green iris. The back and (ides are 
of a violet-colour; the belly <of a yellowifh white; the 
bone of the belly is very hard, and rough to the hand. 
Between this bone and the anus, there are fome prickles 
which fupply the place of a ventral fin. The firft fin of 
the back has a ftrong ray which is long, and dentated be¬ 
fore, and another which is thin and fhort. It is joined to 
the back by a long membrane. The fecond dorfal fin, with > 
thofe of the anus and tail, are large, with branching rays, 
as alfo the peftoral fin, which is fmall ; this laft and that 
of the tail are yellow. This fifh is found in the waters of 
America and the Eaft Indies, and grows to a confiderable 
fize. Neither eggs nor roe were found in this, any more 
than the preceding, by Bloch, who carefully examined 
three different kinds of this fifh. 
7. The ringens, or black baliftes, is diftinguifhed by the 
narrow anal fin, and the two prickles of the firft dorfal. 
There are fifteen rays in the peftoral fin, thirty-two in the 
anal; thirteen in the tail; two in the firft of the back, and 
thirty-three in the fecond. The body is black, with a 1 
blue ftripe on the anal fin and on the fecond dorfal. It is - 
alfo compreffed on the fides, large before, and narrow to¬ 
wards the tail. The head is fhort. The aperture of the 
mouth - 
