154 LARIMUS FASCIATUS. 



longer than the upper, though in fact they are nearly of the same length when 

 the mouth is shut. Both jaws are armed with small, villiform teeth. The tongue 

 is very short, rounded in front, tolerably thick and smooth. The pre-opercle is 

 rounded at its angle, with its ascending border nearly perpendiciJar, and without 

 spines or serratures. The opercle is sub-rhomboidal, prolonged below, and with 

 its posterior margin ending in two flattened points, from which hangs a slight fold 

 of skin. The inter-opercle is thin, narrow, and semicircular. The gill-openings 

 are large ; there are seven branchial rays ; the superior are flat, and the inferior 

 small. 



There are two dorsal flns ; the anterior begins behind the origin of the pectoral, 

 and has ten delicate spinous rays, the anterior minute ; they are partially received 

 in a groove ; the posterior dorsal has one spinous and twenty-four soft rays, nearly 

 of the same length, except the two or three last ; its membrane is covered for some 

 distance with minute scales, and the whole fin stands in a groove of scales. The 

 pectoral is broad, though pointed behind ; it arises rather before the fleshy tenni- 

 nation of the opercle, and has twelve rays. The ventral begins behind the root of 

 the pectoral fin, and extends nearly as far back ; it has one spinous and five soft 

 rays. The anal is short, and has two spines ; the anterior is minute, and the pos- 

 terior stout ; it has six soft rays. The caudal is short, but rather broad and 

 rounded behind, with sixteen rays. 



The scales are nearly semicircular, straight before, rounded and finely ciliated be- 

 hind. The lateral line is placed at first about the upper third of the body, and is 

 concurrent with the outline of the back to the fourteenth ray of the soft dorsal, 

 when it descends to the median plane, and thus continues to the tip of the caudal 

 fin ; its scales are irregularly quadrilateral, straight before, with twelve radiating 

 strise, finely ciliated, and slightly cordate behind. 



Colour. The superior part of the head is silver-grey, more or less clouded ; the 

 cheeks, lower jaw, opercle, and pre-opercle are silvery; the body above the lateral 

 line is pale silver-grey ; below it is silvery ; the sides are marked with seven ver- 



