﻿252 GANGPTic FISHES. Order V. 



and blunter above, and more prominent and sharp-edged be- 

 low. The general colour is silvery ; but on each side is a longi- 

 tudinal stripe, much brighter than the spaces above and below ; 

 and the whole is somewhat diaphanous, so that fourteen ribs on 

 each side may be discerned through the integuments. The 

 back and its fin, and that on the tail, are dotted. The fins are 

 diaphanous, and that on the tail is yellow-edged, with black. 

 The eyes are silver. 



The head is half oval, being flat above, and rising with a curve 

 beneath. It is small and dotted above, and on the crown has a 

 longitudinal furrow, edged on each side with two ridges. The 

 mouth is high, and descends obliquely. 'Vhejaws are scabrous, 

 and the under one is the longest. The bones, in place of the 

 upper lip, are as long as the jaws. The tongue is small, smooth, 

 and detached. The nostinls, on account of the pellucidity of the 

 head, are not to be seen. The eyes are convex, and have circu- 

 lar pupils. Each gill-cover consists of three flexible plates, and 

 its membrane contains about five rays ; but their number can- 

 not be exactly ascertained. 



The scales are large, very thin, and easily removed. The back 

 is nearly straight, with a rounded edge. The belly forms an 

 arch. The lateral line is scarcely, if at all, distinguishable. 



The dorsal fin slopes backward, and its first ray is short. The 

 pectoral fins are very small, and each contains fourteen or fif- 

 teen rays. The ventral fins are very small, and each has seven 

 rays. The rays in the fin behind the vent are about forty-three, 

 of which the three first are undivided, and lengthen gradually 

 from the first, which is the shortest. The fin of the tail is di- 

 vided into two lobes, of which the lower is the longest, and the 

 distinct rays in all are eighteen, besides some short compacted 

 ones on each side. 



