A history of the fishes of the British Islands . lection of the British Museum; butsome hesitation on the subject still remains, since there doesnot exist any external mark by Avhich this kind is to be readilyrecognised. We therefore content ourselves with observing thatthis so-called Snig Eel is supposed to be generally of smallersize than the others; and that more particularly where in theother Eels the first vertebrse from the head are strongly armedwith elevated and diverging processes, to the latter of whichthe ribs are attached, in the Snig there are none, but that thevertebrae are almos
A history of the fishes of the British Islands . lection of the British Museum; butsome hesitation on the subject still remains, since there doesnot exist any external mark by Avhich this kind is to be readilyrecognised. We therefore content ourselves with observing thatthis so-called Snig Eel is supposed to be generally of smallersize than the others; and that more particularly where in theother Eels the first vertebrse from the head are strongly armedwith elevated and diverging processes, to the latter of whichthe ribs are attached, in the Snig there are none, but that thevertebrae are almost entirely smooth. A question arises whetherthis may be the fish which Mr. Jago, at the end of RaysSynopsis Piscium, has termed a Free Eel, (AtiguiUa libera;Jand of which he says, A Congro differt sapore jucundiore,et ossiculorum defectu, quibus Congri abundant; this supposedabsence of ribs has not otherwise been noticed. But while leaving these matters for further inquiry, we ventureto bring forward the claim of another supposed species, which. has been called by the name of Grigg, and which Mr. Yarrell 06X, SNIG EEL. conjectured to be the Angttille plathec of Cuvier. I have neverseen it but of small size; but the form of its head, as beingmore elevated behind, and short and sloping forward, is sodifferent from the others, and the body generally more com-pressed, that I feel much disposed to consider it distinct. Butof its history I know nothing further than that it has beenobtained from the border of the tide when much ebbed. Thearrangement of mucous glands in front of the eye in this lastsupposed species is different fxom that of other Eels. i^- X o 333 FIERASFER. This genus is separated by Cuvier from that of OpUdium, withwhich it had been mingled with the character of having the dorsaland anal fins united to form the tail, as in the Eels; the bodylengthened and the vent far behind, as in these fish, but with thedistinction from the genera Anguilla and Murcena, in having th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookpublisher, booksubjectfishes
