430 DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF AUSTRALIAN FISHES, 



in the length, the head less than three times in the same ; the 

 lower jaw longer than the upper, the spines of the prgeoperculum 

 very strong and sharp ; the spines on the vertex very small, almost 

 wanting ; the scales of the body smaller than in S. percoides ; the 

 dorsal fin lower, the third spine longest ; and the soft dorsal is 

 more equal. Colour orange marbled with brown, and with brown 

 bands ; the dorsal fin is black, the soft portion bordered with 

 white ; a broad dark band across the taU ; the ventrals and 

 pectorals bright orange, the latter with a broad transverse band. 

 Hobson's Bay. Tasmania. 



Genus Scorp.s;na, Art. 



Head large, slightly compressed, ivith a naked groove on the 

 occiput, armed with spines and sometimes with skinny flaps. 

 Scales moderate or small; body generally with skinny appendages. 

 Dorsal fin more or less deeply notched ; ventrals thoracic ; pectorals 

 large, rounded, no appendages. Villiform teeth in the jaws and 

 on the vomer, generally on the palatines also. Seven branchi- 

 ostegals. Air-bladder none; i^yloric appendages in moderate 

 number. 



All temperate and tropical seas. 



284. Scorp^na crxjenta, Eichards. 



Gunth. Cat. Fishes II., p. 112. 



Scorpce7ia Militaris, Eichards, Voy. Erebus and Terror, p. 22, 

 pi. 14, f. 1-2. 



The " Bed Roch Cod:' 

 D. 11. 1/10. A. 3/5. L. lat. 45. 

 The height of the body about equals the length of the head, 

 and is three and a-half times in the total. Head almost without 

 scales. The length of the snout is one-fourth of that of the head, 

 the width between the eyes one sixth ; a shallow quadrangular 

 groove on the occiput surrounded by very prominent spines ; 



