POMOTIS RUBRICAUDA. 11 



between the eyes, with the snout full and nearly semicircular. The eye is moder- 

 ate in size, and is j^laced about one diameter of its orbit from the snout, and 

 two diameters and one quarter from the tip of the opercle, with its lower margin 

 above the median plane of the head. The nostrils are on a line within the 

 orbit ; the posterior is the larger ; the anterior is tubular, and both are above the 

 median plane of the eye. 



The mouth is rather small ; the inter-maxillary teeth are numerous, pointed, and 

 thickly set, with an outer row of larger teeth, conical, pointed, and recurved ; the 

 lower jaw is armed in like manner ; the palatine and vomerine teeth are very mi- 

 nute ; the pharyngeal bones are covered with teeth similar to those of the outer row 

 of the lower jaw, with a few smaller ones behind. The pre-opercle is rounded and 

 but slightly serrated at its angle, with its ascending border directed a little back 

 Avards ; it is smooth, though the cheeks above are covered with scales. The oper- 

 cle is triangular, with its apex below, and its posterior angle rounded, and sustains 

 a long fleshy appendix. The sub-opercle is an isosceles triangle in shape, long, 

 narrow, rounded below, with its basis before and its apex behind. The inter-oper- 

 cle is nearly a parallelogram, narrow, and covered Avith a single roAV of scales. 



The dorsal fin begins on a line with the middle of the appendix of the opercle, 

 and has ten short, rather stout spines, and eleven branched rays considerably 

 longer than the spines. The pectoral is broad, and begins in front of the termi- 

 nation of the bony opercle and ends at the middle of the vent. The ventral is 

 long ; it arises at the root of the pectoral and extends beyond the vent ; it has 

 one short spine, and five soft rays, of which the anterior ends in a filament. The 

 anal begins nearly with the soft dorsal rays, and terminates with them be- 

 hind ; it has three spines, the anterior very small, and the third very long and 

 strong; there are ten soft rays, much longer than the spines. The caudal is 

 large, broad, slightly lunate, and has seventeen rays. 



The lateral line begins at the upper margin of the opercle, and runs near the 

 upper third of the body, concurrently with the dorsal outline to the root of the 

 tail, when it descends to the median plane. 



