BALISTE.S, a genus of Fishers belonging to the order Pleetognathes, and family Sededdermes of Culler. These groups are intermediate in point of structure between the common or osseous tribe's and the car tilaginous tribes ; for though the skeleton is in reality of a fibrous or bony texture, it ossifies very slowly, and is never entirely complete; the ribs in particular usually remain imperfect throughout the whole period of the animal's life. The maxillary and intermaxillary bones, again, form but a simple piece, distinguished only by a slight suture or furrow at the point of junction, and the palatal arch is soldered firmly to the skull, and consequently devoid of individual motion. The opereula and gill-rays are conceal's' beneath the skin, which gave origin to an opinion, at one time common even among professed naturalists, that these fishes wanted the branchial apparatus altogether.
The Batistes are particularly distinguished by the vertical compres sion of the body, by having eight teeth arranged in n single row in each jaw, and a scaly or granulated skin. They have two dorsals; the first composed of numerous powerful 'Tine's, articulated to n peculiar bone, itself articulated to the skull, and furnished with a longitudinal furrow for the reception of the spines, which can be erected or depressed at the will of the animal ; the second large, soft, or without spines, and placed opposite to an anal fin of similar structure. Like
other genera of the same order, the Batistes have no ventral fins ; notwithstanding which, however, their skeleton is furnished with a complete pelvis, suspended from the bones of the shoulder. The intestinal canal is large, but without mat, and the air-bladder of considerable size. . These fish abound in all the seas of the torrid zone, where they swim on the surface of the water, particularly in the neighbourhood of rocky coasts and coral reefs, with avidity upon the polypi of the reefs, and shining with the most brilliant and varied colours. Their flesh is at all times very indifferent food, and is said to be actually poisonous during the period that the coral-worms are in season. The species are very numerous. They are easily dis tinguished by the rhomboidal form of their large and hard scales, which are disposed in regular rows, not overlapping one another as in the generality of fishes, but merely touching at their edges, and thus giving the whole body the appearance of being divided into so many regular compartments. Though, as already observed, they have no real abdominal fins, yet a few isolated spines are often found in the vicinity of the pelvis, which have been generally considered ns repre senting these organs ; and the greater number have the sides of the tail armed with one or more rows of strong spines curved forwards.