92 CAEANX FALCATUS. 



Cuvier and Valenciennes, although they believe it identical with the Scomber 

 hippos of Linnaeus, have retamed the specific name of Dr. Mitchill, instead of 

 that applied to it by the celebrated Swedish naturalist, by Avhom it was first 

 described. 



CARANX FALCATVS. — Holbrook. 



Plate XIII. Fig. 2. 



Specific Characters. Body oval, compressed; yelloAvish, shaded with pale 

 blue, above the lateral line, yellow below it ; lateral line with fifty plates ; tail 

 yellow, widely forked, upper branch longest. D. 7-1-28. P. 16. V. 5. A. 

 2-1-25. C. 19. 



Description. The form of this fish, without the tail, is nearly oval ; it is much 

 compressed, with the head short, and the facial outline descending in a gentle curve 

 to the snout, which is rounded, though narrow. The eye is large, and occupies the 

 middle third of the head, in the vertical direction ; with its posterior margin rather 

 nearer the snout than to the posterior margin of the opercle. The nostrils are 

 close together, nearly midway between the eye and snout, and on a line within 

 the orbit ; the posterior and larger is sub-round, but the anterior is ovoidal. The 

 mouth is small ; both jaws are armed with a single row of slender, conical teeth. 

 There is a small patch of minute teeth on the vomer, and a small, narrow group of 

 similar teeth on each palate-bone. The tongue is small, narrow, and furnished 

 with a few minute teeth near its root. The pharyngeal bones are armed with 

 numerous card-like teeth, which are longer than those of the jaws. 



The pre-opercle has its angle rounded and short. The opercle is narrow, trape- 

 zoid in form, prolonged and pointed below, and slightly emarginate behind. The 

 sub-opercle is quadrilateral, long, and narrow. The inter-opercle is broad and 

 semicircular. The head is smooth, or with only a few scales behind the orbit. 



