176 kksttiom's topknot. 



hi^h ridge: the left eye in advance, and nearly touching the 

 mystache: both eyes nearer the snout than in the li. I/irtus of 

 Yarrell, with which the comparison was particularly made. 

 The giil-covers also much less marked with ridges; anterior 

 portion of the head and jaws rough with points, but less 

 so than in the kindred fish. On the cheeks and body the 

 scales are regular and plainly visible, while the)'- are not 

 discerned in H. hirfus, and they are ciliated at the edge; but 

 the whole surface, as well of the cheeks as the body, is 

 smooth when the finger is passed over it to the tail. Lateral 

 line less arched at first, by not ascending, and from the part 

 where it is bent down proceeding straight to the tail. The 

 dorsal fin docs not begin so near the snout, but barely in 

 front of the upper eye. The pectoral fin is longer and more 

 pointed, for where in R. hirtus it barely touches the angle 

 of the lateral line, in this fish it reaches beyond it; ventral 

 fins not quite so close to the throat, but near the anal fin; 

 tail much longer. The dorsal and anal fins pass only a little 

 under the body at their termination, but this termination is 

 not so near the caudal as in the other species. The under 

 or uncoioured side, as well of the cheeks as body, is covered 

 with ciliated scales, which is not the case with ]Muller's 

 Topknot j and these scales pass far beyond the termination of 

 the dorsal and anal fins, so as to cover the origin of the rays 

 of the caudal fin. On the lower side the pectoral fin is small. 

 Colour of the upper surface yellowish brown, mottled with 

 darker brown over the head, body, and fins^ with less tendency 

 to defined spots than in the other species. 



As two oLher species of Topknots have obtained their 

 Ensflish names from eminent naturalists who have described 

 them, it appears an act of justice to apply to the third 

 species the name of a naturalist to v/hom we are indebted 

 for a correct knowledge of the nsh we have now added to 

 the British catalogue. 



