184 Storer^s Description of, and Observations on, 



anuSj — which is studded with innumerable stellated spines. 

 Length of the head four inches : the distance between the 

 eyes, is nearly three inches. The eyes are oblong, one inch 

 long in their greatest diameter. The nostrils are situated near- 

 ly an inch in front of, and rather above, the anterior angle of 

 the eyes. The vertical gape of the mouth is an inch in extent : 

 the lips are fleshy and lax. The jaws are very strong. 

 About half of an inch back of the angle of the jaws, a line 

 commences, which appears like a scratch upon the skin ; 

 this passes backward to the posterior extremity of the eye, 

 being less than half of an inch beneath the eye, then ascends 

 obliquely to a point upon the back two inches above the mid- 

 dle of the pectoral fin, then curves downwards to the middle 

 of the side of the fish to a point about an inch back of the 

 dorsal fin, whence it pursues a straight course to the caudal 

 rays. This line from its origin also passes upward and back- 

 wards, just exterior to the nostrils, and curving high up over 

 the eyes passes back of them and downward to meet the 

 former line about half of an inch back of the eyes, thus form- 

 ing a ring around them. Directly above the base of the pec- 

 toral fins, a transverse line crosses from the lateral line on one 

 side to that on the other. From this transverse line, an un- 

 dulating line passes to the ring around the eyes. ' 



The dorsal fin is situated upon the posterior half of the 

 body : its length is equal to one third of its height. 



The pectoral fins arise about an inch and a half back of 

 the eyes ; they are somewhat quadrangular in their appear- 

 ance : their length is more than an inch. 



The anal fin is opposite to the dorsal ; it is of the same form 

 as that fin, and about the same size. 



The caudal fin is considerably forked ; it is an inch long, 

 and four inches high. 



The fin rays are as follows : — D. 13 ; P. 16 ; A. 12 ; C. 11. 



My description of the Acipenser oxyrinchus was drawn up 

 from a specimen two feet and three inches in length. During 

 the last season I received another specimen found on the beach 

 at Deer Island, nearly six feet in length. 



