Page:Natural History, Fishes.djvu/217

Rh to each by the same authority in his recent Conspectus, published in 1850. Thus it will be seen how rapid are the accessions that are now being made to our knowledge of the species of animals.

In this very extensive Family, comprising so many of our well-known and familiar river-fishes, the mouth is small and shallow; the jaws are feeble and destitute of teeth; but the pharynx (or entrance of the gullet) is defended by strong teeth which compensate for the feeble armature of the jaws: the tongue is smooth. The form is somewhat compressed, and symmetrical; the body covered with scales, which are generally large; the fins are destitute of scales; the rays are soft, the membrane somewhat opaque: there is but one dorsal, generally placed near the centre of the back: the gill-rays are few in number. The stomach is continuous, and the intestine is not furnished with any cæcal appendages.

The Carps are considered to be the most herbivorous of all fishes, feeding chiefly on the seeds