12:6 SCOMBllID.E. 



very complicated and peculiar, presenting some analogy to the spines with their 

 two or three-forked roots of the Diodons. Externally nothing appears but from two 

 to four rather strong firm-fixed, short glassy points directed backwards like a fork, 

 causing the peculiar harsh roughness of the skin, and rising from amongst the 

 almost invisible small proper scales. Extracted from the skin, which can only be 

 done by boiling or maceration, they are found to be fixed by means of a widely 

 two or three-forked root, the branches or forks of which extend deeply forwards 

 obliquely into the skin, lying almost horizontally, and nearly in the same plane 

 with the outward part, between its coats, and crossing or interlacing with the roots 

 of the prickles immediately adjoining them in a reticulated manner. These forks 

 or branches of the root are much longer than the externally projecting fork, and 

 are themselves most curiously connected together by very fine and slender flexible 

 but bony irregularly anastomosing or cancellated complicated branches and cross- 

 ribs. One of these prickles isolated, with its root, may be described as resem- 

 bling the letter X, with the lower forks or roots however much produced : and in 

 situ it is buried in the skin up to the crossing or hour-glass-like constriction in the 

 middle. The root, however, in the larger prickles on the sides of the body is gene- 

 rally three-forked. 



The skin, upon dissection, proves much thinner and easier to cut than could be 

 judged from its hard or harsh feel to the touch : and when boiled is easily separa- 

 ble from the flesh. 



The lateral line, on removal of the skin, is found to extend in a straight and 

 nearly central course along the sides, commencing from the top of the opercle : and 

 the flesh of which it is composed towards the tail is dark brown when boiled, and 

 softer than the rest. Except towards the tail, where it is more or less slightly 

 tumid like a wheal or varix, its situation outwardly is only indicated to the eye 

 by a slight change in the direction of the longitudinal rows or lines of the prickles 

 of the skin ; which once observed is sufficiently obvious, though it may not strike 

 the attention until pointed out. Those below it on the flanks and belly have a 

 slightly oblique direction upwards ; whilst those above it have a straight one 

 horizontally. 



The fins are all, with the exception of the first dorsal, and the inside of the 

 pectoral and ventral, strongly shagreened or rough. 



The colour of the whole fish is an unifomi dusky mulberry-brown, or coffee 

 colour, with a purplish or vinous tinge ; darker upon the head and back, somewhat 

 paler, and sometimes so in irregular patches, clouds, or blotches, towards the belly. 

 The fins are darker and blackish towards their tips. The mouth is dusky and 

 purplish inside, varied with pale or whitish : the tongue black. Iris pearly 

 grey or silvery-iridescent, whitish, clouded with dusky. Pupil green-opaline. 



In the dissection of two male individuals and one female, the stomach was 

 found to be long, slender, and cylindric, reaching nearly to the vent. The caeca 

 were from eleven to fourteen in number, large and long, of nearly equal size and 

 length, coadnate by means of cellular tissue into a thick palmate fascicle or bundle, 

 partly enveloped by and adnate to the liver, which was pale and large. The gall- 

 bladder was also enveloped by the liver, very large, and of a deep green colour. 

 The intestine was also very large or thick, and perfectly simple, or proceeding 

 straight from the pylorus without any fold or volution to the vent. There is no 

 air-bladder. The ovaria in the female individual (captured in June) were very 

 long, distinct, cylindric, tumid, and vascular; but filled only with a grumose 



The first of the sixteen abdommal vertebraj is very short ; a mere ring: tlio 

 last five or six are furnished with short, simple apophyses beneath, forming an 

 arch, notched at the top, and giving off two short ribs from the notch. The first 



