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Show 214 PISCES. bound in the rivers of· hot climates. Seeds are found These fishes a In the true Silurus, or the in the stomach of various species. SILURus, Lacep. There 1· s on 1y a sma1 1 fin with very few rays on t.h e fore-part of the back but t h e ana 1 1· 8 very long ' closely approachmg that of the tail. In' Silurus, more especially so termed, or the SILURus, Arted. and Gronov. There is no evident spine in the small do:sal; the .teeth in both J. aws are h' ke t h ose o f a card ' and behind th.e mtermaxtllary band of the same is another on the vomer. Such lS the 8.. ' g la m·s , L . ,• the Saluth of the Swiss; Wels or Scheird of dt h·e Germans, &c .,• Bl ., 34 · The largest fresh water fish 10.u n m E d the only one of this extensive genus that 1t pos· urope, an · bl k b sesses; 1· t 1· s smoo tll , black , greenish, spotted w1. th .a c .a .o ve., with yellowish white beneath; head large,. w1th s1x Cll'rll 1t sometimes exceeds six feet in length, and we1ghs three hundred pounds. It inhabits the rivers of Germa?y and Hungary, the lake of Haarlem, &c., and conceals itself m the ~ucl to watch for prey. The flesh, which is fat, is employed m some places for the same purposes as lard.( I) The SoHILBE, Cuv., Differs from these true Siluri in a vertically compressed body and in a strong and dentated spine in the dorsal. The small, ~epressed head, suddenly raised nape, and eyes placed very low, gtve these fishes a singular appearance. . The species hitherto known inhabit the Nile, wh~re th.eir flesh is less disagreeable than that of the other Silur1, which are found in the same stream. They have eight cirri.(2) Certain American species with a round, blunt, small hea~, pro· vided with cirri and almost imperceptible eyes, may constitute a new subgenus.(3) The ( L) Add, St.l. fosst· zu· , B1 . , 37 0, 2 ;-St' l• bt'm acu lat us, Id· • 364•·- Walla,g oo, RussLel , 160;-Sil. attu, Schn., 75;-the Sil. c!~inois, Lacep., V, ii, 1;-Sd. a3otw, ., Pall., Nov. Act. Petrop., I, xi, 2. k 'l .. .]. N.B. Judging from m. spect1. 0n ofth e d r1. e d speci. men, the O. mpo 8f uraor't"is''t Lacep. V, i, 2, is a Silurus whose folded dorsal escaped the notice of the ' who drew it. S:'l 8 auri· (2.) Sil. mystu&, Hasselq., Geoff., Poiss. d'Eg., pl. ii, f. 3 and 4;- t urtt tus, Geoff., lb., f. 1 and 2. (3) Sil. candira, Spix, X, 1;-Sil. crecutiem, ld., Ib., 2. MALACOPTERYGII ABDOMINALES. 215 M YSTus, Arted.; and Lin., Ed. I. Or that of the Machoirana,( 1) comprehends Siluri, which, in addition to their first radiated dorsal, have a second that is adipose; they are chiefly the Pimelodes and the Doraa of Lacepede. PIMELonus, Lacep. The body merely covered with a naked skin; no lateral armature. This subgenus is still much too numerous, and its species differ so widely in conformation, that we have been compelled to divide and subdivide it. "\\Ve first distinguish the BAGRus, Cuv. A band of small crowded teeth in each jaw and behind that of the upper one, a similar band on the vo111er; they may be subdivided by the number of cirri and the form of the head. Among those which have eight cirri, some have an oblong and depressed head;(2) while in others it is broad and short.(3) Of such as have six cirri, the most remarkable are those with a snout as depressed and broad as that of a Pike, and more so.( 4) Some have an oval head, whose shagreen-like bones furnish it with a kind of helmet. ( 5) The head of others is round, without the helmet, and merely covered with a naked skin.( 6) Some al'e remarkable for a depressed head, eyes placed very low on its sides, and for an extremely small adipose fin; these greatly re· semble a Schilbe.(7) Finally, there are others again which have but four cirri.(s) (1) Maclwiran, a name given to these fishes in the French colonies. Schneider, p. 478, improperly applies it to Balistes. {2) Sit. Bayard., Forsk., Porcus Bayard., Geoff., Eg., Poiss., pl. xv, f. 1 and 2;-Sil. Docmac, forsk., Geoff., lb., 3, 4;-Pimelodus aor., Buchan., XX, 68? (3) Sil. erytltropterus, BI., 369, 2;-Pimel. carasius, Buchan., XI, 67;-Pim. gulio, Id., XXIII, 66;-Pim. carcio, Id., I, 7'2;-Pim. nangra, Id., XI, 63, . (,4} Sil.lima, Bl. Schn. ;-Sil.Jasciatua, BI. 366, and variousnew species. This diVISIOn forms the genus SoRUBIM of Spix. (5) Pimtlode aboureal, Geoff., Eg., Poiss., pl. xiv, f. 3 and 4;-Pimel. bilineatus, Deadi.Jallah, Russel, 169. (6) The species are new . . (7) 'rhcy constitute the genus HYl'OI'HTALNUs of Spix, of which he has two speCies, th~ llyp. edentatus, IX, and the llyp. nucltalis, XVII. (8) Stl. bagre, Bl. 365;-Sil. marinus, Mitch. \ |