The natural history of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals . 134 CLASSIFICATION OP FISHES. other example of a head so formed; but this is incor-rect : the genus Diopsis (b) among insects, gives us aperfect representation of these hammer-headed sharks:the resemblance, in short, is so striking, as alternately toexcite our wonder and our risibility at seeing a fly so likea fish (Jig. 10.) In other respects, we find the structurein general accordance with the rest of the true are no temporal spiracles; but the teeth arestrong and acute, crenated on their edges, and
The natural history of fishes, amphibians, & reptiles, or monocardian animals . 134 CLASSIFICATION OP FISHES. other example of a head so formed; but this is incor-rect : the genus Diopsis (b) among insects, gives us aperfect representation of these hammer-headed sharks:the resemblance, in short, is so striking, as alternately toexcite our wonder and our risibility at seeing a fly so likea fish (Jig. 10.) In other respects, we find the structurein general accordance with the rest of the true are no temporal spiracles; but the teeth arestrong and acute, crenated on their edges, and placed inthree rows. The female is oviviparous. The speciesare few, and these not well understood. The Z. mal-leus is that which is best known : it inhabits the seas ofSouthern Europe, and grows to twelve feet long. A secondis found in India : and what seems a third is peculiarto the Australian seas. The most typical species, how-ever, yet known, has been recently discovered and de-scribed by *as the Z. laticeps (Jig. 11,). These. are all typical examples; but the aberrant forms, whichhave the head more heart-shaped, it will be necessary toplace in a distinct genus. (118.) The second type of the aberrant sub-familiesis the genus Pristis, or saw-fish. This genus hasbeen placed by all writers between the sharks andthe rays ; and with great truth, for it partakes almostequally of the structure of both—uniting, however, apeculiarity altogether its own. This consists in the * An acute and most zealous naturalist, whose materials for elucidatingthe fish, serpents, and mollusca of India are particularly valuable} thedrawings and descriptions having been made from the living subjects. PRISTIS, THE SAW-FISH. 135 enormous prolongation of the snout (Jig, 12.), which isstraight, flat, and nearly of equal breadth throughout: 12 the tip is obtuse; but the sides are armed with asingle row of strong acute spines, pointing outwards soas to resemble a very wide-toothed comb.* Cuvierob
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubj, booksubjectfishes, booksubjectreptiles
