82 BOTHROLiEMUS PAMPANUS. 



The mouth is small ; the lips are tolerably thick and fleshy ; the jaws are with- 

 out teeth ; the tongue is large, thick, and smooth. The pharyngeal bones are very 

 remarkable ; the inferior, as well as the central superior, are very strong, massive, 

 and heavy, and have their grinding surfaces marked with numerous pits and depres- 

 sions, like sockets for teeth, which are never found either in the young or in 

 the adult animal ; but in the small posterior pharyngeals, very frequently a few 

 pointed, small, card-like teeth may be observed. The pre-opercle is rounded, some- 

 what prolonged at its angle, and without the least serrature, but with slight 

 depressions, that give a radiated or plicated appearance to the skin. The opercle 

 is quadrilateral, and rounded behind. The sub-opercle is large, sub-triangular, and 

 rounded behind, with its base below. The inter-opercle is semilunar, but straight 

 above where it joins the sub-opercle ; the gill-openings are large ; there are seven 

 branchial rays. 



The anterior dorsal fin is represented by six very short spines, placed in a 

 groove, each of which has its membrane ; these are preceded by a short, recumbent 

 spine, directed forwards ; the second dorsal begins nearly midway between the 

 snout and the root of the caudal fin ; it is long, sub-falciforai in shape, and has one 

 short spinous ray and twenty-four soft rays ; the three anterior are very long and 

 firm ; they decrease in length to the seventh ; the others are short, but of equal 

 length to the last. The pectoral is large, and broad ; it begins behind the gill- 

 openings, and ends before the posterior dorsal fin ; it has sixteen rays. 



The ventrals are very short ; they begin just behind the origin of the pectoral, 

 but do not extend as far back ; they are near together, and have each one simple 

 and five branched rays, the last of which is bound to the belly by skin. The anal 

 is shaped like the soft dorsal fin, with its three anterior rays prolonged ; but from 

 the sixth they are short, and all of the same length ; it is preceded by two short 

 spines, and has one spinous and twenty-one soft rays. The caudal is very long, 

 has twenty rays, and is widely forked ; the upper branch being slightly the longer. 



The scales are very small and deeply imbedded in the skin. The lateral line is 



