T7716 FISHES—AMIIDA. 
hard as flint, and even proof against lead balls! Its flesh is not good to eat. It is a 
voracious fish. Its vulgar names are Diamond Fish (owing to its scales being cut like 
diamonds), Devil Fish, Jack Fish, Garjack, ete. The snout is large, convex above, very 
obtuse ; the eyes small and black; nostrils small, round before the eyes; mouth beneath 
the eyes, transversal with large angular teeth. Pectoral and abdominal fins trapezoidal. 
Dorsal and anal fins equal, longitudinal, with many rays. The whole body covered 
with large stone sca\es, lying in oblique rows; they are conical, pentagonal and pen- 
taedra}, with equal sides from half an inch to one inch in diameter, brown at first but 
becoming of the color of turtle shell when dry. They strike fire with steel! and are 
ball proof !”—(Rafinesque, Ich. Ohiensis, 91.) 
If our species is identical with the Cuban Manjuari, which is not im- 
probable, the older name, L. tristechus (Bloch), must be stibstituted for 
L. spatula. 
ORDER V. HALECOMORPHI. THE CYCLOGANOIDS. 
Parietals in contact; pterotic simple; basis of cranium, and anterior vertebre simple ; 
maxodible with opercular and coronoid; maxillary not segmented, forming part of the 
border of the month; third superior pharyngeal Jying on the enlarged fourth; upper 
basihyal wanting ; vertebrx amphicelian; pectoral fins with mesopterygium and eight 
other elements, body covered with thick, cycloid scales; tail heterocercal; dorsal fin 
long; ventral fins abdominal; skeleton mostly ossified : precoracoid cartilaginous; one 
axial and four basal branchihyals; air bladder cellular, with partial functions of a lung. 
This order contains but a single family, the Amiidw, with no near relatives among 
recent fishes. (Latin, halecomorphous, having the form of a shad.) 
FAMILY V. AMIIDA. THE GRINDLES. 
Body oblong, moderately compressed posteriorly ; the head broad, narrowed forwards, 
its upper surface bony and rugose; membrane bones of head extremely hard; a broad 
radiated bony plate between the branches of the lower jaw; maxillary broad, with a 
supplemental bone, forming part of themargin of the upper jaw; j2ws withstrong teeth ; 
similar teeth on vomer, palatine and pterygoid bones; eye rather small; anterior nos- 
trils each with a barbel; branchiostegals about nine; gill openings very wide, not 
separated by an isthmus; gill rakers short, body covered with cycloid scales; latera) 
line present ; dorsal fin occupying most of the back, its rays rather low, of nearly uniform 
length; anal fin short; ventral fins small; pectoral fins inserted rather high; fins all 
without fulcra; tail heterocercal; air bladder large, cellular, lung-like, communicating 
by a glottis with the esophagus; stomach large; coloration dark, the male fishes with 
an ocellated black spot on the tail. A single species is known, among recent fishes. 
GENus 8. AMIA. Linnsous. 
Amia, LINNZ US, Systema Nature, Ed. xii, 1766. 
Type, Amia calva, LINNZUS. 
Etymology, amia, an ancient name of the marine Bonito (Sarda pelamys) transferred 
by Linneeus to this very different fish. 
The characters of the genus are included above, with those of the family. 
