ICHTHYOLOGY (Gr. ichthys, a fish; logos, a discourse), that branch of natural history which treats of fishes. Aristotle is the most ancient author having any claim to he noticed in a history of ichthyology, nor was this science much indebted to any other of the ancients. In modern times, it began to be cultivated. about the middle of the c., by Belon, Rondete.t. and Salviani. Towards the close of the 17th c. it made great progress through the labors of Willoughby and Hay; in the 18th c., through tho,e of Artedi, Klein, Linne, Gronow, Brunich. Scopoli, and Bloch; in the beginning of the 19th c., through those of Cuvier and De la Cepede; whilst, more recently. Valenciennes, Agassiz,,and Owerrare grninent'amongist many who have prosecuted the study of ichthyolod 'With ardor and success. The name Of Yarrell to be particularly mentioned for his work on British fishes. The earlier ichthyologists generally included the cetacea among fishes. Linne removed the cetacea to their proper place. He also
placed the cartilaginous fishes with reptiles in his class arnphibia, from which they have since been, by the common consent of naturalists, brought back to their place in the class of fishes. LinnCi's system of ichthyology is almost as artificial as his system of botany. It is founded on the relative positions of the pectoral and ventral fins, without reference to any important point of comparative anatomy or animal economy. Other ichthyologists, both before and since, have labored to discover a natural arrangement,,, to which the progress of comparative anatomy lies greatly contributed, although sue-, cess is still confessedly very imperfect. Even the system of Agassiz, founded on the external covering of fishes, is not wholly artificial, and is of very convenient application, to fossil ichthyology.