SHINING GURNARD. 65 



the point of the nose to the end of the occipital spine, is to 

 the whole length of the fish as one to four ; the depth of the 

 head is to the whole length of the fish as one to six and a 

 half; the depth of the body is to the whole length as one to 

 six ; the nose is rather short and blunt ; at the superior an- 

 terior edge of each orbit is a single short bony spine directed 

 upwards ; at the inferior anterior edge of each orbit there is a 

 groove directed downwards and forwards to the base of the 

 external nasal bone, in which groove, about half way between 

 the eye and the nose, the nostril is pierced ; the exterior sur- 

 face of the head granulated and hard ; the posterior margin 

 on each side furnished with two spines directed backwards, 

 one from the edge of the operculum, the other from the occi- 

 pital bone above it ; the region of the scapula, behind the 

 operculum, is furnished with another spine, also directed 

 backwards. The fin-ray formula is as follows : 



D. 918 : P. 10 3 : V. 6 : A. 17 : C. 14. 



The first dorsal fin commences in a line over the base of 

 the pectoral fin, the second ray is more than as long again as 

 the first ray, and the third ray is also a little longer than the 

 first ray ; afterwards the rays decrease in length gradually, the 

 last ray being the shortest ; the second dorsal fin commences 

 in a vertical line over the anal aperture ; the rays of this fin 

 are nearly uniform in length throughout, the fin ending on 

 the same plane with the anal fin, the rays of which com- 

 mencing immediately behind the anal aperture, are also 

 nearly uniform in length throughout ; the tail in shape is 

 lunate ; the dorsal ridge contains from twenty-four to twenty- 

 six plates, each ending in a single point ; the lateral row of 

 scales, peculiar to the Gurnards, are in this species formed 

 like wings, and are represented of an enlarged comparative 

 size below the tail of the figure of the fish. The head and 

 upper part of the body are of a fine vermilion colour ; the 



VOL. I. F 



