BORER. 411 



compressed. On the anterior portion of the body an appearance 

 of rings; breadth (or depth) near the tail six eighths of an inch. 

 Aperture of the mouth perpendicularly oval, with short rather 

 thick tendrils, (a particular description of which will be copied 

 from Eskstrom.) A single projecting hooked tooth above; what 

 are desci-ibed by writers as lingual teeth appear to me to be 

 pharyngeal; in two nearly half-moon-shaped beds; in two rows 

 of sharp teeth, the outermost or convex row largest, and the 

 uppermost tooth in each row bifid; no mark of an eye. There 

 is no fin on the back until near the tail; a raised fold at the 

 belly, beginning at five inches and a half from the head, and 

 becoming wider as it passes on, it joins the dorsal to form the 

 tail, as in the Conger; but without rays, and resembling the 

 fins of the Lamprey, except that it is much thicker. Two 

 small openings, which communicate with the breathing organs 

 near each other at four inches from the snout, close on the 

 belly to where the abdominal fold begins. The mucous orifices 

 so conspicuous in the figure given in Ekstrom's plate, could 

 not be discerned in our example; which may be accounted for 

 by the action of the diluted spirit in which it had been 

 immersed. The colour brown, with a tiiige of pink on the 

 back, yellowish on the sides, pale along the abdominal line. 



The figure given by Ekstrom is more brightly coloured, and 

 also much more slender than ours; in which it resembles that 

 of Mr. Yarrell, whereas our own bears a nearer resemblance to 

 that of Pennant; but we believe that the difference is only the 

 effect of the difference of age, and perhaps of feeding. Ekstrom 

 says the usual length is about a foot, slender, plump, round 

 on the fore part, compressed behind, without scales, the skin 

 tough, loose on the body, when alive somewhat pellucid, and 

 plentifully covered with slime; the head to be distinguished 

 only by having the mouth and nose; snout subconical, rather 

 blunt, flat below; the mouth resembling a rounded oj)ening, 

 which closes in folds, without distinct lips. There are eight 

 short barbs ranged round the opening of the mouth, four of 

 which are placed so as to form a square at the point of the 

 snout, and directed upward: two also on each side of the mouth, 

 the loAver pair the shortest, but all directed upward. The caudal 

 fin lower on the fore part, and then wide, below reaching 

 forv'ard to the vent, which is at the last eighth portion of the 



