128 



CORNISH CENTROLOPHUS. 



little the shortest; the gape moderate; teeth fine. The breadth 

 of the body is carried evenly to Avithin a short distance of the 

 tail; lateral line arched for a small distance, and then passes 

 straight to the tail. Scales not perceptible. Border of the 

 foremost gill-cover free, with soft projections, as if serrated. 

 The ridge along the back begins close behind the head, and 

 the dorsal fin, which is embedded in it, begins at first obscurely 

 anterior to the origin of the pectoral fin; the rays, which are 

 firm, are so closed up by the skin of the dorsal ridge, as to 

 be but little capable of motion. This skin becomes wider beyond 

 the middle of the body, as does also the anal fin, which is 

 equally embedded in a ridge, and both end almost opposite 

 each other, at an inch from the tail. The pectoral fin was 

 much mutilated from injury when cast on shore, as were also 

 the ventral -fins, which appear to have been small, and were a 

 little behind the pectorals. The tail wide, and deeply divided. 

 Colour nearly uniform brownish pink, lighter on the belly, 

 darker along the top of the back, and still darker on the fins. 

 The tail darker than the fins. As well as I could count them, 

 the rays of the dorsal fin were forty-seven, in the pectoral 

 seventeen, anal twenty-nine, and caudal twenty-five. In pre- 

 serving it the stomach was found of large size, and contained 

 green and red sea-weeds. Bones of the head and back soft as 

 cartilage. The flesh resembled that of the Sunfish. There 

 were not any teeth in the palate, as in the genus Coryplicena. 

 ' The small difference in the relative dimensions, as given 

 above, from those of Dr. Gunther, is to be ascribed to the 

 process of setting up; and Dr. Gunther further observes, that 

 the rays of the fins are feeble, low, and the point where the 

 spines pass into the rays cannot be distinguished. Both the 

 dorsal and anal fins have scales. The rays of all the fins are 

 shorter and much more slender than in the Pompilus; to which, 

 we may add, that the general proportions of the body of these 

 species differ considerably. 



