224 THE CAPE KLIP-FISHES. 



Only one specimen has been procured of C. latipinnis, a fish' 

 that has the soft-rayed portion of the dorsal fin markedly higher" 

 than the spinous. The profile of the head is rounded, with a 

 slight depression between the orbits, which have their upper 

 margin swollen and with a short, thick, fleshy tentacle slightly 

 flattened at the end, branched and with a broad fringe or row of 

 cirri ; the posterior nostrils are very prominent as open tubes and' 

 the anterior have a plain tentacle above each. The tubes of the 

 lateral line (66) are well marked. The colour is brownish, with 

 minute specks on the body and faint transverse bands ; the pec- 

 toral and caudal fins are marked with brown dots which form 

 transverse bars. 



We have also had to describe another small Klip-fish, 

 C brevicristafiis, from a single specimen, and it may be noted 

 that this species seems closely to approach the genus Cristiceps 

 owing to the membrane of the crest of the dorsal fin being at- 

 tached so low down on the base of the fourth spine as to give 

 the appearance of a separate crest ; it is not separate, however, 

 and the fish has therefore been classified under Clinus. The head 

 is short and the snout blunt ; the eyes are placed high in the 

 head and slightly directed upwards, there is a shallow transverse 

 depression behind them and a well-developed tentacle, formed by 

 a broad flat stalk with nine cirri at the end, rises above each orbit ; 

 a similar tentacle with three or four cirri occurs at each anterior 

 nostril. The height of the dorsal crest, of which the first twa- 

 spines are longest and equal, is one-third the length of the head, 

 the succeeding spines are low anteriorly but lengthen gradually 

 to the middle of the fin; the last spine, however, is longer than 

 those of the crest and the soft rays of the fin are still higher. In 

 the specimen procured there is a deep notch between the i8th 

 and nineteenth spines, but this may be due to an injury dur- 

 ing an earlier stage. The scales are distinct and comparatively 

 larg^e, and there is a series of enlarged scales on the curve of the 

 lateral line. In the specimen there are about seven dark chocolate 

 brown irregular bands across the body and dorsal and anal fins, 

 and between them irregular brick red bands from the base of the 

 dorsal but not reaching the abdomen ; a longitudinal series of 

 irregular white patches appears below the lateral line, from pectorals 

 to base of caudal and an irregular white band from inferior 

 margin of eye to border of opcrcle, witTi a white patch on the 

 throat below the opercle, another on the brown base of the pec- 

 toral and one on base of caudal ; the soft dorsal was semi-trans- 

 parent for about two-thirds its extent ; the anal greenish yellow 

 between the dark bands ; vcntrals the same shade with dark 

 spots; pectoral and caudal fins semi-transparent, light greenish- 

 yellow and with rows of dark spots along the rays; the upper 

 part of the head was black. 



We have not been able to procure a specimen of C heterodon, 

 recorded bv Cuvier and \'alenciennes. The spines of the dorsal 

 are stated to be of uniform height, the soft rays a little higher ;• 

 the colour is said to be brown, except the belly, which is reddish^, 

 and the extremities of the anal rays, which are whitish. 



