230 FAMILY OF RIBAND-SHAPED FORM. 



scarcely project beyond the skin, and the tail termi- 

 nates in a long point, without any caudal fin. The 

 gill-rays are seven. Three species belong to the In- 

 dian seas : one is catalogued as British ; but further 

 elucidation is required. 



(Sp. 33.) T. leptm-us. The Silvery Hair-tail 

 (PI. XY.) is a fish whose habitat is the Atlantic. 

 The greatest number of specimens have been derived 

 from the coasts of South America and the West 

 Indies, a few from those of North America and the 

 western coast of Africa : at Monte Yideo and Ja- 

 maica it is known as the Sword-fish ; at Cuba, as 

 the Sabre. The height of the body is to the whole 

 length as 1 to 16 or 17. At about the half of the 

 whole length, the body begins to diminish in size, 

 and is little more throughout the latter fifth than a 

 slender tail. The lower jaw is the largest ; the eye 

 is placed high up, near the line of the profile : the 

 number of teeth is about fifteen on each side of 

 each jaw, being compressed, cutting, and pointed j a 

 row of very minute ones occurs on the palatine bones ; 

 the tongue is long, free, and smooth. The pectoral 

 fin is small, with eleven rays ; there are no ventrals; 

 the dorsal commences in a line with the superior 

 angle of the opercle, the rays having a uniform height 

 throughout the greater part of its length, and dimi- 

 nishing toward the termination. The vent is at a 

 third of the length of the fish from the head, and 

 behind it there are numerous small spines. There 

 are no visible scales ; the lateral line, commencing 

 at the upper edge of the operde, descends to the 



