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• r j j ' ’ ’'” ”“ 7 " ' * ? " ' “ ®“ ''''“ “ “ '*'’'^ posteriorly by a piano covered witl. numerons fleshy teeth
pointed I h e stomach was simple and fleshy, and formed a long pouch, with longitudinal
internal folds. 1 he pyfone orifice was smooth, resembling th a t in man. T h e duodenum was larger
than the other intestine s, which form convolutions, turning a t acute angles upon one another, and
connected two and two by the mesentery. The whole canal was void of e « n t o , and had
b u t few vtllos,ties. The contents of the stomaoh were small in quantity, and o f a homogeneous nature,
dark colonr, and somewhat solid consistence. The intestines were filled with a greyish pnlpy matter
T h e iver was largo and rod, filling a t least one h a lf of the abdomen ; divided by a deep fissure into
two lobes, tho right being considerably larger th an the left. The hea rt was partly lodged between
them. The gall-bladder was large and full. About two feet o f a slender T m was taken out of the
small intestines, where it appeared to be continued, tapering to a fine filament.
" T h e c u ta n e o u s m u s c le o f th e n e c k a n d b a c k was ve ry th ic k .
“ O n e o f th e sliip ’s c om p a n y , in c le a n in g o ne o f tlie s c b ird s to h av e it c o o k ed , s a id h e fo u n d a b ill
r e s em b lin g th a t o f th e P ro c e lla ria , s tic k in g in i t s g u lle t.”
The same species was observed in great numbers in Monterey B a y ; and was seen also a t sea
almost every day o f the passage from the Aleutian Islands to California.
A specimen shot a t Monterey, and examined by Mr. Collie, “ extended,” according to his notes
“ seven feet eight inches.—The base and edges o f the tongue were aculeated— A long tapering
gall-bladder lay by the side o f a convolution of intestine. There were two mca of unequal longib,
but very short and very small. Portions o f flesh, cartilage and fish, were found in the stomach.”
FISHES;
G. T. LAY, E s q . , a n d E . T. BENNETT, E s q . , F. L. S., See.
O f the various departments of zoological science, that which relates to Fishes
has been perhaps the most generally neglected. It would be misplaced to
attempt here to explain the causes of this neglect, though we have to express
our regret at one of its consequences, in the imperfect state of the notes made
during the voyage by the naturalists who accompanied it—notes which in many
cases are calculated to lead to conjecture alone. Among the numerous fishes
observed were doubtless many new species, and probably several new forms ;
and it would have been a gratifying task to have recorded these as so many
positive additions to science. We could not, however, avoid entertaining frequent
doubts, that species had been erroneously referred to genera of which
they constituted no part ; and it was also observable, that in some cases the
characters recorded were insufficient to determine the genus, and occasionally
even the family, to which the species belonged. It was therefore feared, that
by attempting to give to the imperfect descriptions placed in our hands a technical
form, and affixing to them names as of known and well-ascertained
things, an injury might be done to science, rather than a benefit conferred upon
it. On the other hand, it seemed just to the gentlemen who had observed