OTOLITHUS NOTHUS. 135 



The anterior dorsal fin begins behind the root of the pectoral, and has eight 

 spinous rays partially received in a sheath, the second and third being longest. 

 The posterior dorsal has one spinous and twenty-eight soft rays, the first very 

 short and closely joined to the second; the scales ascend high up on its roots, and 

 make a partial sheath. The pectoral is small ; it arises at the termination of 

 the opercle, extends almost as far back as the ventral, and has sixteen rays. 

 The ventral is short, but tolerably broad; it begins behind the root of the 

 pectoral, and has one spinous and five soft rays. The anal is short; it arises 

 nearly opposite the sixteenth dorsal ray, and has one delicate spinous and ten 

 soft rays, the first, second, and third longest. The caudal is moderately 

 broad, nearly straight behind, and has eighteen rays, those of the middle rather 

 longest. 



The scales are soft, sub-quadrilateral, and slightly rounded behind, but are so 

 arranged on the body as to appear sub-rhomboidal. The lateral line runs along 

 the upper fourth of the body as far as the second dorsal, when it curves down 

 to the median plane, and thus continues to the end. 



Colour. The whole animal is silvery-white externally, except the fins; the 

 pectoral being white, tinted with yelloAV on its outer margin ; the anal yellow 

 in front, and white or semi-transparent on its posterior half; the dorsal is trans- 

 parent. The tongue is yellowish above ; the roof of the mouth, and the inner 

 face of the upper and lower jaws, are also yellow, but of a paler tint. 



Dimensions. The head is one fourth the entire length ; the elevation without 

 the dorsal fin is equal to one head ; total length, twelve inches. 



Splanchnology. The liver is composed of two lobes, and a small central or transverse portion, 

 separated from the right lobe by a deep fissure ; the right lobe is narrow, thin, and pointed be- 

 hind, and extends about half the length of the abdomen ; the left is much longer, and of sub- 

 triangular form, and both project forwards into the hypochondria. The gall-bladder is cylin- 

 drical, and but little larger than the cystic duct, and is placed almost entirely behind the right 

 lobe. The stomach is small, less in size than the oesophagus ; it is cylindrical, rather pointed 



