. Cuvier's animal kingdom : arranged according to its organization. Animals. 330 PISCES. THE FIRST ORDER OF CHONDROPTERYGII,— CHONDROPTERYGII BRANCHIIS LIBERIS,- (Or, with free gills), have in their gills a single wide opening, and a gill-lid, like the Bony Fishes, but they have no gill-rays. There are two genera. Accipenser, the Sturgeon.—General form like that of the Shark, hut the body more or less covered with bony plates in longitudinal rows, and the head externally armed with the same. Their mouth, placed under the muzzle, is small and toothless ; and the palatal bones, soldered to the m
. Cuvier's animal kingdom : arranged according to its organization. Animals. 330 PISCES. THE FIRST ORDER OF CHONDROPTERYGII,— CHONDROPTERYGII BRANCHIIS LIBERIS,- (Or, with free gills), have in their gills a single wide opening, and a gill-lid, like the Bony Fishes, but they have no gill-rays. There are two genera. Accipenser, the Sturgeon.—General form like that of the Shark, hut the body more or less covered with bony plates in longitudinal rows, and the head externally armed with the same. Their mouth, placed under the muzzle, is small and toothless ; and the palatal bones, soldered to the maxillaries, form the upper jaw, while there are vestiges of the in- termaxillaries in the thick Ups. Placed upon a pedicle of three articulations, this mouth is more protractile Fig. Sturgeon. ^^im. that of the Shark ; the eyes and nostrils are on the sides of the head, and barbules are suspended from the muzzle ; the labyrinth within the cranial bones is perfect, but there is no external ear—the hole behind the temple leading merely to the gills. The dorsal is behind the ventrals, and has the anal directly opposite to it ; the caudal surrounds the extremity of the spine, and terminates in the upper lobe of the tail, but an under lobe gives the tail the appearance of being forked. Internally, we find the spiral intestinal valve, and the single pancreas of the Shark family; and there is a very large air-bladder, which communicates with the gullet by a large opening. Sturgeons ascend some rivers in vast numbers, and are the object of valuable fisheries. The flesh of most is agreeable, their eggs or roes are made into caviar, and their air-bladders furnish the finest isinglass. A. sturio, the Common Sturgeon, cccasioually found in the west of Europe and on the British shores, is about six feet long, has a pointed muzzle, five rows of plates with strong spines, and its flesh is much esteemed, being somewhat like veal. The rivers falling into the Black and Caspian Seas
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1840, bookpublishe, booksubjectanimals
