The natural history of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals . ll. The gar-fishseem widely dispersed, for they occur in the Atlanticand in Tropical India; but we found no species in theMediterranean. Of the sub-genus Scomberesox, also,only one species is British : it chiefly differs from thelast in having the hinder portion of the dorsal and analfins divided into those finlets which are so conspicuous * Yarrells Fishes, vol. L p. 392. ESOCIJOE. HEMIRAMPHUS. 301 among the mackerel. The sub-genus Hemiramphus another subordinate type of this genus ; and its sin-gular mouth
The natural history of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals . ll. The gar-fishseem widely dispersed, for they occur in the Atlanticand in Tropical India; but we found no species in theMediterranean. Of the sub-genus Scomberesox, also,only one species is British : it chiefly differs from thelast in having the hinder portion of the dorsal and analfins divided into those finlets which are so conspicuous * Yarrells Fishes, vol. L p. 392. ESOCIJOE. HEMIRAMPHUS. 301 among the mackerel. The sub-genus Hemiramphus another subordinate type of this genus ; and its sin-gular mouth is perfectly unique among fishes : the lowerjaw is of the same proportionate length as in the gar-fish, but the upper is so short that it appears as ifbroken off almost at its base. It would be highly inter-esting to know those particular habits which require astructure of mouth so different from all other fishes;but this remains unknown. Various species are found inthe tropics of both hemispheres : one of these, the (fig. 64.), we have examined in a fresh. state, and thus been able to detect a singular peculiarity,not yet noticed. On both sides of the lower jaw (which,in its depressed shape, resembles the upper one of asaw-fish deprived of its spines) is a thin membranaceousfringe or skin, very delicate, and which is half thebreadth of the jaw itself: it is quite clear that this jawis not used either to secure the food upon which thisfish may feed, for the point of it is quite obtuse ; neithercan it be employed to thrust into the sand or othersubstances, for then this membrane would be destroyedimmediately : besides, the circumstance of the othergar-fish swimming close to the surface of the water,shows that their food is not found at the bottom ; andthis also must be the case with Hemiramphus, whoseshape and general structure, in every thing but its mouth,is perfectly the same as Ramphistoma. Now it is a re-markable circumstance, that we have a genus of bird
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubj, booksubjectfishes, booksubjectreptiles
