EEPORT ON THE DEEP-SEA FISHES. 257 



it had swallowed another deep-sea fish about 9 inches long (Halargyrevs johisonii), the 

 stomach of which was forced up into the mouth by the distended air-bladder, showing 

 how rapidly both fishes must have ascended to the surface. The body of this specimen 

 is 8^ and the tail 23 inches long. It is preserved in the British Museum. 



4. A young specimen in the British Museum, the history of which is unknown ; its 

 body is 3, its tail 8| inches long. It is much shrivelled, having been preserved for a long 

 time, but supplies some valuable information on points in which the larger is imperfect. 



I first give a detailed description of the Madeiran specimen. 



The figure of the fish on PI. LXVI. will give a better idea of its general appearance 

 than could be supplied by a description ; it represents the specimen with its victim 

 in situ; when the stomach is empty the abdominal integuments are contracted, yet 

 protrude as a wrinkled bag, which, however, does not extend beyond the vent. 



The whole fish is covered with a thin, jet-black skin, which is easily ruptured. In 

 a lateral view of the head the sides are nearly vertical, occupied chiefly by the broad 

 and long mass of muscle, which is situated between the suspensory and palato-pterygoid 

 bone. This portion of the head extends far backwards and obliquely downwards, and 

 is bordered below by the slender and slightly curved maxillary. External to the 

 anterior extremity of the maxillary lies the small eye which is somewhat obscured by 

 the skin, and situated so that the fish can discern objects approaching from the side, 

 from the front and from below. In front of the eye there is only the short, triangular, 

 flexible rostral appendage, which, at least in this specimen, is bent downwards. The 

 mandible is as slender and simple a bone as the maxillary, and curved in such a 

 manner that it can be closely fitted to the latter. When the mouth is shut, the 

 mandibulary forms an acute angle with the suspensory and with its fellow. However, 

 the joints at the opposite ends of the mandible are so loose, that the fish had the 

 power of throwing down the lower jaw until " it was almost in a line with the upper"; 

 and even now the two rami of the mandible can be so far drawn apart, as to form a 

 right angle at the symphysis. The posterior end of the palato-pterygoid projects free 

 out of the muscle, and covered with skin only, leans against the maxillary at a distance 

 of half an inch in advance of the mandibulary joint. 



Viewed from above, the cranium appears extremely short and broad, slightly convex 

 longitudinally as well as transversely ; it is broadest vertically above the hind margin 

 of the eye, where the side of the cranium projects outwards ; its transverse diameter at 

 this place is half an inch, but little less than the length of the cranial portion to the end 

 of the rostral appendage. Thick occipital or nuchal muscles are inserted immediately 

 behind the line between the lateral projections of the skuU, and hide the occipital portion 

 of the cranium, the backward extent of which cannot be ascertained without dissection. 



(ZOOL. CHALL. EXP. — PART LVII. — 1887.) Lll 33 



