BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 309 



regularly decreasing from the first. Highest soft ray of dorsal about 

 half the distance from snout to base of pectoral, and somewhat longer 

 than the highest ray of the anal. Free anal spines little developed. 

 Dorsal and anal each depressible into a very high sheath of scales, which 

 leaves only the last two or three rays uncovered. Caudal fin wide, 

 well forked, the upper lobe evidently longer and more falcate than the 

 lower, but less produced than in C. amhlyrhynchus, the longest ray being 

 about one-third the length of the rest of the fish. Pectoral tin very 

 long and falcate, reaching opposite to base of seventh ray of anal, 

 about half longer than head. Ventrals rather long, reaching beyond 

 vent and slightly more than half way to front of anal. 



Breast entirely covered with very fine thin scales; upi^er part of 

 sides anteriorly with irregular series of scales which are not well im- 

 bricated. Lateral line with a strong curve anteriorly (but less arched 

 than in G. amblt/rhynchus), the height of the curve two-sevenths of its 

 length, which is a little more than half the length of the straight por- 

 tion; the line becomes abruptly straight opposite the front of the anal. 

 Plates of lateral line developed along the entire length of the straight 

 portion, the plates not large, the height of the largest one not more 

 than half the diameter of the eye. 



Head 4 in length; depth 2|. D. VI-I, 29; A. II, I, 25; Lat. 1. GO 

 (all plates). 



Color, blackish olive above, dusky yellowish below, with silvery 

 luster. Top of head, snout, and a large diftfise blotch on upper part of 

 opercle black ; cheeks and lower parts of head thickly dusted with large 

 brown points. Vertical fins dusky, the caudal and anterior rays of anal 

 with much greenish-yellow; ventrals largely white. Pectorals dusky 

 olive, the axil and a large black blotch on both sides of the fin at base 

 jet black. This blotch covers the base of all the rays of the pectoral ex- 

 cept the lower, and extends on the fin for a distance greater than one- 

 fifth the length of the fin. Inside of mouth and lining of opercles not 

 black. 



A single large specimen, 12 inches in length, was taken in the Bay of 

 Panama. 



4. Sciasna imiceps, sp. nov. (29432, 29481, 29489.) 

 Allied to Sciwna ophiosdon (Gthr.). 



Body deep and compressed, the back considerably elevated, the caudal 

 peduncle short and deep. Head very small, narrow, and low; the snout 

 bluntly pointed, the profile from the nostrils to the interorbital region 

 not steep, thence rising steeply with a considerable curve to the base 

 of the dorsal. Depth of the head at the middle of the eye equal to the 

 length of the snout and eye, and about equal to the greatest thickness 

 of the head. Interorbital space narrow, little convex, little wider than 

 eye, -^ in head, about equal to length of snout. Preorbital wide, gib- 



