How to See the British Museum in Four VisitsJerrold, Blanchard
History
How to See the British Museum in Four Visits
Jerrold, Blanchard
British Museum
SPINY-FINNED FISHES.
This family occupies the first thirteen wall cases. Among the fishes
in the first four cases, the visitor should notice the flying
gurnards; the sea scorpions, and flying sea scorpions; the paradise
fish; and the perches, including the fingered variety. The next cases
(4-9) include, amid other varieties, the chaetodons, or
bristle-toothed fish; mackarel, and horse mackarel; tunny; scombers,
&c.; john-dories; and pilot fish. Then follow, next in succession, two
cases (10, 11) containing the lively dolphins, which are remarkable
for the rapidity with which they change colour when they are withdrawn
from the water; the sturgeons, with their lancet spine; and the sea
garters. The next two cases include the remaining specimens of the
spiny-finned fish. Among these are the wolf fish; the curiously formed
tobacco-pipe fish; the big-headed dolphins or anglers; the hand fish,
with its long fins; and the rook fish.
THE SOFT-FINNED FISHES
are deposited in nine cases. In the first two cases (14, 15) of the
series, are the fresh water fish of different countries, including the
voracious and long-lived pike: these form an interesting group for the
contemplation of anglers. The next case is devoted to hard-coated
fish, as the Callichthes, which are cased with a thick scale armour;
and the hard-coated Loricaria. The fish grouped in the other cases of
the series, are mostly familiar to the general visitor. Here are the
varieties of the salmon and the herring; cod; ling; turbot; flounders;
eels of various kinds; whiting; and the lump fish. The remaining four
cases of this room are devoted to a series of fishes including, in
cases 23, 24, the globe fish with a parrot's beak; and the ungainly
sea horses. The two last cases (25, 26) include the file fish; the
coffin fishes with their hard case of octagonal plates; and the
European and American sturgeons. Having examined the varieties of
osseous fishes, the visitor should continue his westerly course into
the fifth and last room, a compartment of the northern zoological
gallery. In this room he will find the wall cases devoted to
CARTILAGINOUS FISHES.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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