BY W. MACLEAY, F.L.S. 307 



one third wider than the narrowest ; snout up to the anterior 

 edge of the eye longer than the other part of the head ; tubercles 

 moderately acute ; a short thin rather rounded ridge in front of 

 the eyes ; supra-orbital spine broad, arched, and rather notched ; 

 a single short, blunt, and notched spine in front of the coronet ; 

 this rather elevated, directed very obliquely and terminated by 

 five well marked but blunt spines ; eleven body-rings. Colour 

 (dried) yellow, with transverse narrow brown bands on the snout. 



West Australia. Length four and a half inches. 



986. Hippocampus tubekculatus, Casteln. 



Researches on the Fishes of Australia, p. 48. 



All the tubercles, particularly those of the tail, very much 

 developed, the latter ones much thicker at their extremity than 

 at their base. Snout short, being only once and a half the 

 diameter of the eye and considerably shorter than the operculum ; 

 hind part of the trunk considerably dilated ; the supra-orbital 

 tubercles are long, thick, and bear a short tentacle ; all the other 

 tubercles without tentacles ; coronet thick, quadrilateral at its 

 extremity ; eleven body-rings ; thirty-two or thirty-three caudal 

 rings, the last two or three united. Colour dark brown. 



Swan Eiver. Length two and a half inches. 



ObderVI. PLECTOGNATEI. 



Teleostcous Fishes with rough scales or ivith ossifications of the 

 cutis in the form of scutes or spines; shin sometimes entirely naked. 

 Skeleton incompletely ossified, with the vertebrce in small number. 



Gills pectinate ; a narrow gill-opening in front of the pectoral fins. 

 Mouth narrow ; the bones of the upper jaw generally firmly united. 

 A soft dorsal fin, belonging to the caudal portion of 'the vertebral column, 

 opposite to the anal ; sometimes elements of a spinous dorsal besides. 



Ventral fins none or reduced to spines. Air-bladder without pneumatic 

 duct. 



