20000-Leagues-Under-the-Seas-2nd-version-61

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see!”
“How	unusual!”	the	Canadian	put	in,	setting	aside	his	tantrums	and	getaway
schemes	while	submitting	to	this	irresistible	allure.	“A	man	would	go	an	even
greater	distance	just	to	stare	at	such	a	sight!”
“Ah!”	I	exclaimed.	“I	see	our	captain’s	way	of	life!	He’s	found	himself	a
separate	world	that	saves	its	most	astonishing	wonders	just	for	him!”
“But	where	are	the	fish?”	the	Canadian	ventured	to	observe.	“I	don’t	see	any
fish!”
“Why	would	you	care,	Ned	my	friend?”	Conseil	replied.	“Since	you	have	no
knowledge	of	them.”
“Me?	A	fisherman!”	Ned	Land	exclaimed.
And	on	this	subject	a	dispute	arose	between	the	two	friends,	since	both	were
knowledgeable	about	fish,	but	from	totally	different	standpoints.
Everyone	knows	that	fish	make	up	the	fourth	and	last	class	in	the	vertebrate
branch.	They	have	been	quite	aptly	defined	as:	“cold-blooded	vertebrates	with	a
double	circulatory	system,	breathing	through	gills,	and	designed	to	live	in
water.”	They	consist	of	two	distinct	series:	the	series	of	bony	fish,	in	other
words,	those	whose	spines	have	vertebrae	made	of	bone;	and	cartilaginous	fish,
in	other	words,	those	whose	spines	have	vertebrae	made	of	cartilage.
Possibly	the	Canadian	was	familiar	with	this	distinction,	but	Conseil	knew	far
more	about	it;	and	since	he	and	Ned	were	now	fast	friends,	he	just	had	to	show
off.	So	he	told	the	harpooner:
“Ned	my	friend,	you’re	a	slayer	of	fish,	a	highly	skilled	fisherman.	You’ve
caught	a	large	number	of	these	fascinating	animals.	But	I’ll	bet	you	don’t	know
how	they’re	classified.”
“Sure	I	do,”	the	harpooner	replied	in	all	seriousness.	“They’re	classified	into	fish
we	eat	and	fish	we	don’t	eat!”
“Spoken	like	a	true	glutton,”	Conseil	replied.	“But	tell	me,	are	you	familiar	with
the	differences	between	bony	fish	and	cartilaginous	fish?”
“Just	maybe,	Conseil.”
“And	how	about	the	subdivisions	of	these	two	large	classes?”
“I	haven’t	the	foggiest	notion,”	the	Canadian	replied.
“All	right,	listen	and	learn,	Ned	my	friend!	Bony	fish	are	subdivided	into	six
orders.	Primo,	the	acanthopterygians,	whose	upper	jaw	is	fully	formed	and	free-
moving,	and	whose	gills	take	the	shape	of	a	comb.	This	order	consists	of	fifteen
families,	in	other	words,	three-quarters	of	all	known	fish.	Example:	the	common
perch.”
“Pretty	fair	eating,”	Ned	Land	replied.
“Secundo,”	Conseil	went	on,	“the	abdominals,	whose	pelvic	fins	hang	under	the
abdomen	to	the	rear	of	the	pectorals	but	aren’t	attached	to	the	shoulder	bone,	an
order	that’s	divided	into	five	families	and	makes	up	the	great	majority	of
freshwater	fish.	Examples:	carp,	pike.”
“Ugh!”	the	Canadian	put	in	with	distinct	scorn.	“You	can	keep	the	freshwater
fish!”
“Tertio,”	Conseil	said,	“the	subbrachians,	whose	pelvic	fins	are	attached	under
the	pectorals	and	hang	directly	from	the	shoulder	bone.	This	order	contains	four
families.	Examples:	flatfish	such	as	sole,	turbot,	dab,	plaice,	brill,	etc.”
“Excellent,	really	excellent!”	the	harpooner	exclaimed,	interested	in	fish	only
from	an	edible	viewpoint.
“Quarto,”	Conseil	went	on,	unabashed,	“the	apods,	with	long	bodies	that	lack
pelvic	fins	and	are	covered	by	a	heavy,	often	glutinous	skin,	an	order	consisting
of	only	one	family.	Examples:	common	eels	and	electric	eels.”
“So-so,	just	so-so!”	Ned	Land	replied.
“Quinto,”	Conseil	said,	“the	lophobranchians,	which	have	fully	formed,	free-
moving	jaws	but	whose	gills	consist	of	little	tufts	arranged	in	pairs	along	their
gill	arches.	This	order	includes	only	one	family.	Examples:	seahorses	and
dragonfish.”