380 Annals of the South African Museum. 



to 6th longest, ^ length of head, nearly twice as long as soft rays, 

 which are all equal in length. Anal iii 14 ; 2nd and 3rd spines 

 equal, J length of head, 1^ as long as the soft rays. Pectoral \ 

 length of head, slightly shorter than ventral ; latter reaching vent. 

 Caudal deeply forked, middle rays \ length of outer. Caudal 

 peduncle twice as long as deep. Scales 150|* ; lat. 1. 70. Silvery ; 

 dark purplish grey on the back ; lateral line, dorsal and anal fins, 

 and caudal fin blackish ; tips of longest dorsal spines white ; pectorals 

 grey ; ventrals white. 



Total length 450 mm. 



I am indebted to Mr. W. L. Sclater for the loan of the single 

 specimen, now in a stuffed condition. It was caught by a trawler in 

 False Bay, and presented to the South African Museum by Lieut. - 

 Commr. A. P. Gurney, E.N. 



Parascorpis, Blkr., likewise from the Cape of Good Hope, and 

 known to me only from the description and figure, appears to be 

 related to this genus, so that its allocation to the Scorpidina, as 

 proposed by Bleeker, may after all be correct. But it differs 

 generically in the presence of an opercular spine and the reversed 

 proportions of the two divisions of the dorsal fin. So far as specific 

 characters go, Parascorpis typus differs abundantly in the number 

 of dorsal rays (xii 15), the shorter dorsal spines, the longer second 

 anal spine, the narrower and serrated preorbital, the more strongly 

 serrated preopercle, the more prominent chin, and the feebly notched 

 caudal fin. The spinous dorsal and the caudal fins are represented 

 as covered with scales, which is not the case in the fish here 

 described. 



