74 THE DISCOBOLI. 



Professor Liitken gives the following as the formula : D. 43-49 ; A. 36- 

 40; P. 32-38; C. 9-11. The specimens described here, and from which 

 the numbers placed at the head of this description were taken, were fur- 

 nished this Museum by him. From his large series he finds a greater range 

 of variation in all cases except that of the caudal, where 12-14 rays appear 

 on these examples. Our largest is five inches in length. 



Color olivaceous to dark brown, darkest about the head and body. On 

 close examination the skin is seen to be thickly punticulate with brown, in 

 cases forming cloudings, blotches, or transverse bands on the fins and hinder 

 part of the body. In life there is no doubt of the presence of tints of lilac, 

 reddish, or yellowish. One of these specimens has six bands of brownish on 

 the dorsal, and four on the anal. 



Kroyer's description, 1862, of this species, as his Liparis tunkaia, is neces- 

 sary for comparison with the foregoing and with L. tunkaia of Eeinhardt. 

 It furnishes the following particulars as copied from his work. 



"D. 50-45; A. 33-38; P. 42; C. 10; Vert. 48. 



" Color fuscus vel cinereo-olivaceus, infra parum modo dilutior, nullis 

 raaculis punctisque nigro-marmoratus ; rarissime longitudinaliter lineatus 

 vel undulatus lineis dilutioribus. Caput quartam longitudinis piscis partem 

 JBquans, altitudinem superans, depressum, latins quam altius, rostro humi- 

 liori obtuso. Nares anteriores tubulosae, posteriores modo margine cutaneo 

 prominente cincta3. Maxilla inferior superiori brevior, ferme horizontalis. 

 Dentes maxillarum numerosi, multiseriati, trilaciniati, lacinia intermedia 

 lateralibus angulariter protensis multo majore. Diameter oculi longitudi- 

 nahs vix sextam longitudinis capitis partem explet, tertiam vero latitudinis 

 frontis inter oculos partem a?quat aut superat. Spatium a margine oculi 

 posteriori ad aperturam branchialem latitudine frontis inter oculos aliquanto 

 longius. Discus ventralis suborbicularis, deciraam fere longitudinis piscis 

 partem explens. Pinna caudalis hand acuminata, cum pinna dorsali et anali 

 connata sed ad basin modo, octavam ferme explens longitudinis partem." 



Anatomy. 



Skeleton. — The amount of ossification in this species is less than in such 

 as L. Agassizii or L. mucosus. The skull is more nearly quadrate in trans- 

 section ; it is higher at the occiput and descends more to the ethmoid. 

 The forehead is broader and the frontal ridge less crooked. There is also 

 a marked difference in the suborbitals ; the posterior process in L. major is 



