FISHES FROM THE COAST OF NATAL. 5 



length of snout SS-^, interorbital width 3|— 3|^. Lower jaw 

 projecting; maxillary extending to or beyond the vertical 

 from the posterior margin of pupil ; 13 or 14 gill-rakers 

 on the lower part of the anterior arch. Dorsal 10-11, 

 38-40. Anal 38-39. Pectoral |-f the length of head, 

 extending beyond the origin of anal. Ventrals 7-rayed, | 

 (adult) to I" (young) the length of head. Caudal truncate. 

 About 130 scales in a longitudinal series above the lateral 

 line, about 12 in a transverse series between base of first ray 

 of anterior dorsal and lateral line. Greyish; inner surface 

 of pectoral blackish. 



Three specimens, 160 to 370 mm. in total length, from the 

 Cape of (rood Hope and from Natal. This species is very 

 distinct from the European M. vulgaris, with which it has 

 been confounded. 



Scorpasna natalensis sp. n. (PI. V). 



Depth of body 2|- in the length, length of head 2-|. Snout 

 longer than eye, the diameter of which is 5 in the length 

 of head and equal to the interorbital width. Jaws equal 

 anteriorly; maxillary extending to below the middle of eye ; 

 palatine teeth present. Head naked, except for a few rudi- 

 mentary scales. Interorbital space concave, with a pair of 

 weak ridges ; occiput with a quadrangular depression. A pair 

 of nasal spines ; each supra-orbital ridge with 3 spines ; a 

 pair of spines near the extremities of the interorbital ridges; 

 on each side 2 spines in the parieto- occipital region and 

 below them 2 temporal spines; sub-orbital ridge with 3 

 spines leading to a double spine on the pr^eoperculum, below 

 which are 3 prajopercular spines ; 9 gill-rakers on the lower 

 ])art of the anterior arch. Dorsal XII 10, the third and 

 fourth spines the longest, as long as the longest soft rays 

 and nearly half the length of head. Anal III 5, the second 

 spine scarcely longer than the third, one third the length of 

 head. Pectoral with 9 branched and 10 simple rays, f the 

 length of head, not (ruite reachino- the orio-in of anal. Ventrals 



