236 FAMILY OF RIBAND-SHAPED FORM. 



has lately received from Professor Reinhardt a copy 

 of a Memoir read to the I^oyal Society, Copenhagen, 

 in the winter 1829, containing a detailed account, 

 and a figure from a specimen obtained alive in Ice- 

 land.* This has been translated by Dr. Cantor, and 

 from this Memoir we make a few extracts. It was 

 about three feet nine inches long, and reached its 

 destination in such beautiful condition, that the 

 brilliant red colour of the fins had not faded. The 

 colour of the head and body is silvery white, varied 

 only by the blackish grey of the head, and by two 

 oblique oval spots of the same colour on each side. 

 The long dorsal fin, and the almost vertical caudal 

 one, are of a light red colour. There are no traces 

 of scales, the skin beneath the silvery covering 

 being furrowed by diagonal lines : towards the ab- 

 dominal margin they appear as papillary warts of 

 remarkable fineness, but by no means osseous ; the 

 lateral line is covered with a series of oblong osseous 

 shields, from the middle of which the spines arise. 

 The number of rays in the right pectoral fin was 

 eleven, in the left ten; the vertical caudal had 

 eight. We question if any drawing has yet ap- 

 peared, in wliich all the ornaments of this singular 

 fish were entire. 



Gen. XXXY. Gymnetrus. — This genus is dis- 

 tinguished by a single prolonged ventral fin, often 

 dilated at its extremity. Six or eight species have 

 been discovered, two of which, according to M. 



* See Trans, of the Royal Danisli AeaJciP'y^ New Pene*. 

 ^01. vii. ]8S«. F5.T. 



