OTOLITHUS REGALIS. 129 



The pre-opercle is round and prolonged at its angle, with its ascending border 

 directed rather forward, and crenated or fringed, but without serratures. The 

 opercle terminates behind in two flat and pointed processes, hardly perceptible in 

 the recent specimens, but evident enough to the touch ; from the inferior of these 

 the skin is continued backward, and ends in a point. The sub-opercle is long and 

 narrow. The inter-opercle is broad, and with a rounded outline below. The 

 opercle and pre-opercle, as well as the head above, to near the extremity of the 

 snout, are covered with scales, but the jaws are smooth. The gill-openings are 

 large; there are seven branchial rays. The supra-scapular bone is large, semi- 

 circular, but not serrated. 



The anterior dorsal fin begins behind the origin of the ventral ; it has nine 

 feeble spinous rays, the second and third longest, and the posterior very minute ; 

 the soft portion has one spinous and twenty-seven soft rays. The pectoral is 

 small and short ; it arises just behind the opercle, is furnished above with a 

 sub-triangular fold of scaly skin, and has seventeen rays, the anterior very stiff 

 or sub-spinous. The ventral fin is stout ; it arises behind the root of the pectoral, 

 extends as far back, and has one spinous and five soft rays. The anal is of 

 moderate size, and begins nearly opposite the fifteenth soft dorsal ray, and termi- 

 nates behind with that fin ; it has one large spinous and ten soft rays, the 

 second, third, and fourth longest, and the posterior very short. The caudal is 

 rather large, sub-crescentic, and has seventeen rays, and is covered with scales to 

 near its extremity. 



The scales are transparent, slightly adherent, about sixty-six in the longitudinal 

 direction, and twenty-two in the vertical ; their shape is unguiform, with the 

 anterior margin straight, and with numerous mmute striae, the posterior rounded 

 and minutely ciliated. The lateral line runs nearly straight, along the superior 

 fourth of the back, to the ninth dorsal spine, and then gradually curves down to 

 the median plane, and is thus continued nearly to the tip of the caudal fin ; its 

 scale is small, sub-round, and with a large duct. 

 17 



