PROCEEDINGS. LXIII 



westward to the Bristol Bay region. It is also known from the 

 islands of Unalashka and Kodiak. It grows to a weight of 30 

 pounds, and is a very important food-fish. 



One species of OnchorJiynciis, O. gorhusciia, extends over tlie 

 whole coast of Alaska northward to Colville river. All the rest 

 extend at least as far as the Yukon river, and one species, O. keta, 

 has been obtained from Hotham Inlet. The Onc/io/ /ly/ic/ti a.Ye the 

 most important food-fishes -of tlie Territory, and are the most abund- 

 ant. The principal centers of export are Kodiak and Cook's Inlet. 



Numerous canneries have sprung u\) lately in these regions, 

 directing their attention mainly to the red-fish, O. nerka, a salmon 

 whose flesh is beautifully red, but comparatively inferior. The 

 finest of the salmon, O. chouicJia, is employed principally for salt- 

 ing, the bellies only being selected for this purpose ; the remainder 

 of the fish is made into tikali. 



Sixty-Third Meeting, May 3, 1S84. 



The President occujiied the chair. • Twenty members were pres- 

 ent. 



Prof. Theodore Gill read a paper On the System of the Squall 

 These belong to the Selachians, which constitute a class quite dis- 

 tinct from the fishes and widely separated from the Ganoids. He 

 briefly reviewed the salient structural features of the various repre- 

 sentatives of the order Squali, as well as the history of the classifi- 

 cation of the group, and concluded with -the assertion that there 

 appeared to be five principal types of structure manifested in the 

 various forms whose anatomy is more or less satisfactorily known. 



(i.) The Pternodonta or Selachophichthyoidei are represented by 

 but one known species, lately described by Mr. Garman. Its ana- 

 tomical characteristics are unknown, but will probably be found to 

 be nearly the same as in the succeeding group, Opistliarthri. It is 

 distinguished from all other known sharks by the very elongated 

 and almost anguilliform shape as well as by the peculiar teeth, 

 which have long fixed bases and are not reclinable as in most of 

 the other types. It was also predicted that the Pternodonta would 

 probably be found to have the palato-quadrate element articulated 



