The natural history of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals . ere assigned to Trichosoma :to render this more apparent to the reader, we shallhere place the two groups in juxtaposition, for the solepurpose of showing that, when so placed, these twopoints turn out to be parallel with each other. Macroleptes. EIops. Microleptes. .Me-Lalops. Gymnetes. Notopterus. Canthilei tes. Triglida-, &C Trichosoma. Blennides. Engraulis. As any attempt to explain the whole of these pre-sumed analogies would lead us from our more immediate CLUPEID^. OSTEOGLOSSUM. 287 purpose, and would, in fa
The natural history of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals . ere assigned to Trichosoma :to render this more apparent to the reader, we shallhere place the two groups in juxtaposition, for the solepurpose of showing that, when so placed, these twopoints turn out to be parallel with each other. Macroleptes. EIops. Microleptes. .Me-Lalops. Gymnetes. Notopterus. Canthilei tes. Triglida-, &C Trichosoma. Blennides. Engraulis. As any attempt to explain the whole of these pre-sumed analogies would lead us from our more immediate CLUPEID^. OSTEOGLOSSUM. 287 purpose, and would, in fact, be anticipating our futureexposition of the order Acanthopteryges, we shall passthem over, and at once proceed to the other groups ofthe Clupeince. (243.) We have now disposed of the two most typicalgroups of the family before us, and shall proceed to theother three, which we consider are aberrant. We com-mence with Osteoglossum, because it follows that of thetoothed herrings, represented by Elops and annexed cut () of this singular type (O. Mcir-. rhosum Sw.*) will give an accurate idea of its generalstructure. In the continuity of the dorsal, caudal, and analfins, as well as its lengthened tail, it reminds us of theeels; while its large oblique mouth, and very short muzzle,present some resemblance both to Laurida and Thryssa:the teeth, however, although numerous and sharp, arenot very unequal in their length. Cuvier remarks ofthis type, that it has many relations with Sudis; but hehas not stated what these relations are, and to us theyappear few and very remote;—the one is nearly cylin-drical, the other much compressed ; and their generalphysiognomy is very different. There is no fish, yetdiscovered, where the scales, in proportion to the size ofthe body, are so enormously large as in this type ; andSpix mentions that they are very hard. Cuvier remarksthat the tongue is osseous, and singularly rough, from amultitude of short, straight, and truncated
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