276 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



64. Plectromus cristiceps (Gilbert). 



One specimen 4.75 inches long from station 4207, off Cape Edgecumbe, in 922 fathoms. 



Head 2.75 in length; depth 3.80; eye 5.3 in head; maxillary 2.3; mandible 2; interorbital 3.1; 

 dorsal m, 13; anal I, 8. 



Head long, blunt anteriorly, remarkable for cavernous areas surrounded by membranous ridges, the 

 eye surrounded by a raised rectangular area bordered above and below by raised crests; a fragile but 

 sharp spine on snout and a horseshoe-shaped crest on top of head, the rounded border pointing anteriorly; 

 a raised area ending in a ridge in front of preopercle and resembling the latter in outline; a fan-shaped 

 striate patch on upper posterior corner of opercle; mouth wide, slightly oblique, the gape reaching to 

 vertical of pupil. Dorsal rather long, its base 1.5 in head, its origin halfway between tip of snout and 

 base of caudal; anal short, its base 3.5 in head, its origin about middle of base of dorsal; ventrals short, 

 inserted immediately below pectorals; pectoral long and slender, reaching to posterior end of dorsal, 

 about 1.2 in head, narrow (about 13-rayed), inserted close behind gill-opening and about two-thirds 

 distance from dorsal to ventral outline. Scales apparently deciduous, the scars only remaining, 

 largest anteriorly, 24 in longitudinal series, 9 in transverse series; no lateral line. 



Predominating color black; fins dark; crests, occiput, and area about eye white; positions occupied 

 by scales lighter, border area black. 



Family 28. ZAPRORID.-E. 



65. Zaprora silenus Jordan. 



Known only from 2 specimens, the type and one other now in the Provincial Museum at Victoria, 

 both taken in Nanaimo Harbor, British Columbia. 



Fig. 25. — Zaprora silenus Jordan. 



Family 29. EMB10T0C1D.-E. The Viviparous Surf-fishes. 

 66. Cyrnatogaster aggregatus (Gibbons). White Surf-fish; Mri parous Perch. 



This interesting fish occurs from Todos Santos Bay, Lower California, northward at least as far as Yes 

 Bay, Alaska. It was found by us at the following places: Marrowstone Point near Tort Townsend, June 

 29; Kilisut Harbor near Port Townsend, July 1; Taylor Bay and Gabriola Island near Nanaimo, June 20; 

 Union Bay, Nanaimo, June 2:'.; Fori Rupert, June 25; Boca de Quadra. July 6; Yes Bay and Karta Bay, 

 July 8; Loring and Klawak, August 8. It was abundanl a1 all these places, except at Yes and Karta 

 bays, and many specimens were seined at all of them, but none was seen farther north than Yes Bay. 

 Bean (1883) records it from Wrangell. The specimens collected up to July 1 were mature, the females 

 all being Heavy with young. In some instances the young had begun to escape, as some were found in 

 the water, and in nearly all cases they could be easily pressed from the body of the mother. Frequently 

 they were able to maintain themselves in an upright position in the water and swim about. 



A large number of examples of this species were examined for the purpose of determining the 

 extreme and average sizes of adult males and females, the number and size of youngat time of libera- 

 tion, and the position of the voting in the ovary. It was found that the average total length of all the 



