Descriptions of Fishes from the Coast of Natal. 195 



|- length of head, the succeeding spines shortening posteriorly ; 

 anterior rays of soft dorsal about same height as the longest spine, 

 membranes very emarginate. Pectorals a little over -J- length of 

 head. Ventrals f length of head and reach to origin of anal. Anal 

 13 ; rays about same height as longest spine of dorsal ; membranes 

 of anterior rays very emarginate, leaving more than half the ray free, 

 and posteriorly each ray seems to be free for its whole length. 

 Caudal same length as pectorals, slightly rounded. 



Colour (of preserved specimen), dark brown above, light below ; 

 upper lobe of caudal with two oblique dark bands, lower lobe with one. 



One specimen, 323 mm. in length, from Durban. 



This is apparently a young fish, differing in some respects from 

 Day's description of P. insidiator, but on the whole apparently 

 belongs to that species. 



FAMILY S 



SPHYR^NA JELLO, C. and V. 



Teeth, a series of long isolated canines on upper jaw, a series of 

 smaller ones on lower with a large canine at symphysis. Depth of 

 body a little over 6f times in total length excluding caudal, length 

 of head nearly 3|- times. Distance from eye to point of snout nearly 

 3 times diameter of eye, which is l T 3 o times in interorbital width and 

 6 1 times in length of head ; height of head nearly ?- its length, width 

 over J its length. Interorbital space slightly concave ; snout long 

 and pointed ; cleft of mouth wide, lower jaw longer than upper and 

 with a fleshy tubercle at end of symphysis, maxillary reaches to 

 vertical of anterior margin of orbits ; angle of preoperculum obliquely 

 rounded ; operculum with two points. 



Dorsal v 19 ; first dorsal commences a little behind vertical of 

 origin of ventrals, at a distance from posterior margin of orbits equal 

 to the space between its last spine and the origin of the soft dorsal ; 

 1st spine longest, T 3 y length of head, remaining spines shortening 

 successively to about |- the height of the first. Anterior soft rays of 

 2nd dorsal nearly f length of head, emarginate. Pectorals 14, 

 -J length of head. Ventrals ^ length of head. Anal i 9 ; com- 

 mences behind vertical of origin of soft dorsal, about same height 

 but the base not so long. Caudal f- length of head, forked, outer 

 rays produced into a filament. Depth of body about the same from 



