BERYX SPLENDENS. 51 



wider, with similarly toothed, but more waved or indented, crest-like edges ; the 

 interior of which passes above the eye forwards to the top of the hind nostril, 

 •fomiing a superciliary crest. The space between this inner crest or ridge and the 

 eye-ball is filled with a peculiarly smooth, and jelly-like skin. Another crest 

 or ridge, commencing on the top of the head, in a line with the fore corner of the 

 eye, runs parallel with and above this superciliary ridge, and descends behind the 

 eye obliquely towards the superscapulary, which is a large, plain, smooth, and simple 

 oblong scale, half covered by the opercle, wdth an entire central keel, and its edge 

 finely toothed and membranous. Thus the space between the eyes, which equals 

 about a semi-diameter of the eye, and is nearly flat, presents four crests or ridges, 

 viz, one superciliary and one temporal on each side, diverging from the top of 

 the muzzle before the eyes, and inclosing on the middle of the skull an oblong or 

 elliptic space. 



Preopercle very broad and naked, punctate, irregularly and minutely toothed at 

 the edge, and with two conspicuous little ridges or crests upon its surface at 

 its lower angle : its hinder edge is also faintly striated, and straight ; its lower 

 margin curvilinear and convex. A triangular patch of large scales covers the 

 cheek beneath the eye and immediately behind the broad ends of the maxilla- 

 ries ; this patch is bordered behind, or separated from the naked preopercle, by a 

 faintly-toothed slight crest or ridge. The opercle is only twice as high as wide or 

 long, scaled all over, and very gibbous or prominent at its upper part or articula- 

 tion with the temporal bone close behind the eye ; whence also there runs a dis- 

 tinct horizontal or longitudinal bony keel, conspicuous to the eye, though partly 

 overlapped by scales, and so not prominent to the touch, ending in a marginal flat 

 tooth or spine; and below this a second smaller tooth, or angle at the edge, is 

 traceable ; the rest of the margin being thin and membranous, with its edge 

 entire. The interopercle is quite naked; its edge convexo-arcuate, striate, and 

 irregularly and minutely toothed. It is short and broad, but nearly concealed by 

 the lower border of the preopercle ; leaving scarcely more than the edge of it 

 exposed. 



Whole head and lower jaw, except the cheeks and opercle, perfectly naked, or 

 free from scales. The space between the branches of the lower jaw is divided into 

 compartments by three longitudinal bony ridges of unequal length ; and these 

 are rough, like the ridges of the bones themselves. 



Branchial opening extremely large and wide, extending forwards to the fore edge 

 of the eye. The membrane normally has eight distinct strong rays, and very 

 rarely, and but accidentally, nine, — as in the example originally described in the 

 Proceedings of the Zoological Society. 



The humeral bone forms in the axil of the pectoral fins a broad, dilated, trian- 

 gular, conspicuous, smooth and naked space, the hinder edge of which is arcuate or 

 rounded. 



The scales are large, and their whole exposed surface is echinulate, with short 

 reflexed points or prickles, giving a general roughness to the touch. The lateral 

 line, which is nearly straight, following the curvature of the back, at about one 

 quarter of the greatest depth below the dorsal line, is not very conspicuous, and 

 composed of from seventy-one to seventy-six or seventy-eight marked scales. 

 These are continued beyond the others into a curious imbricated point reaching 

 to the tip of the middle short caudal rays. The other scales are all arranged 

 in straight, perfectly parallel lines, visible to the eye; which, from their contrast 

 with the curvature of the belly, give a very peculiar character to the fish, and 

 confuse the lateral line to the eye. There are about eight rows above, and twenty 

 below, the lateral line. 



Pectoral fin placed about one third of the height up the side, long, lanceolate. 



