20 



mouths forming short cirrhi. The structure of the pores 

 on the lateral line is the same. A row of minute and dis- 

 tant pores, without tubular lips, can be traced from behind 

 the pectoral, along the line of origin of the muscles in the 

 middle of the sides, to the caudal fin. The skin on the 

 iip])er edge of the orbit is tumid, and a small crest, com- 

 posed of united tubes, with open mouths, rises from its 

 middle. This crest is not uniform, having a more pahuated 

 shape in some individuals, while in others the little tubu- 

 lar branchlets stand out on every side. Some variation in 

 size and form is, perhaps, owing to the season at which 

 the specimens were taken, the examples procured by Sir 

 James Ross having but a vestige of the crest, even when the 

 skin is perfect in that part ; but it is to be observed, that 

 many of them have the integuments broken there, as 

 if the tubular projections, having been very tender, had 

 worn off more readily than the rest of the integument. 

 The top of the head and shoulders is studded with little 

 round soft grains, and filamentous points, not very visible 

 without the aid of a lens; and a few similar grains exist 

 on the integuments investing the dorsal rays. All these 

 seem to be the tumid lips of minute pores. 



The body ap])ears to have been orange, with three irre- 

 gular dark brown bands desceuding from the back. The 

 top of the head is dark ; the belly and the fore part of the 

 back showing the orange-coloured ground. The second 

 dorsal, pectoral, and caudal, are tessellated by squarish, 

 blackish-brown spots, confined to the meuibrane. These 

 spots form rows, when the fins are fully extended. There 

 are also some dark specks on the edge of the first dorsal, 

 and a few blotches on the ventrals. The anal is orange, 

 and unspotted. 

 Length of the specimens generally about three inches. 



Obs. One specimen is entirely destitute of a first dorsal, 

 and bears no mark of the back having received any injury. 

 Its second dorsal contains twenty-one articulated rays, and 

 the anal fin eighteen rays. 



Hab. The Falkland Islands. 



Harpagifer palliolatus. Richardson. 



Ch. Spec. H. strlgd albescenti ah extreme rostra per sum- 

 mum dorsum ad caudam tractd ; laterihus fusvis trans- 

 verse hifasclatis I corpore infra auranliaco. 



Radii;— Br. 6; D. 3|- 



A. 17; C. U^; P. 16; V. 1|5. 



Plate XII., figs. 5, 6, 7, natural size.* 



I have seen only one example of this form of Harpagifer, 

 and am not convinced of its being specifically distinct 

 liom bispinis, notwithstanding the very different way in 

 which it is coloured. It may be a sexual dress merely. 



Only three spines can be delected in the first dorsal, and 

 the supraorbitar crest seems to be composed of a single 

 conical tube. In all other parts of external structure, the 

 resemblance to bispinis is extremely close. The suboper- 

 cular spine is acutely pointed. In bispinis this spine is 

 sometimes acute, sometimes notched at the tip. The only 



reason for giving this fish a distinct name, is the milk- 

 white streak which connnences on the symphysis of the 

 upper jaw, and runs along the middle of the head and 

 back to the tail, sending one band down the side towards 

 the anus, and another at the end of the second dorsal. 

 The maxillaries are also white. The ground-colour of the 

 head and sides is greyish-black, fading on the flanks to 

 hair brown. The under surface and the fins are marked 

 as in bispinis. 



A small crenated flap projects from the fore edge of the 

 anus, rather more conspicuously than in the ordinary ex- 

 amples of bispinis, and there is a minute genital tubercle 

 behind, as shown in figure 7. 



Length, 2'6-2 inches. Length from tip of upper lip to 

 anus, rSO inches. 



Hab. The Falklauds. 



Pat^cus. Richardson, Ann. Nat. Hist, for Oct. 1844, 

 vol. xiv. p. -280. 



Ch. Gen. Forma compressissima, circiimscriptioiie laterali 

 semiparaboUcd ; facie frontatd oblique retro descen- 

 denti. 



Os parvum, rictu fere horizonlali parum decliri. Maxilla 

 inferior porosa, cirris minimis jinrr/' pn'ilila. 



Dentes minulissiuii, arciKuei in iiinjillis u/risque, ossi- 

 busque pliaryiKjeis stipati. Lingua, vomer, palatum- 

 que l(Bves. 



Oculi laterales in summd gena positi. 



Ossa capitis operculorumque inermiu, sulcatim iiisculpla. 



Os preorbitale membro tenui verticali : disco in/'ero dila- 

 tato, iiiscnlpto. Catenula suborbilalis memhraiiacco- 

 tubulala, iiec ossea, oculo remota, e disco preorbitalis ad 

 tempera genam transcurrens. 



Apertura branchialis ampla, postice infraque etiam intra 

 ramos nia:r///(e inferioris ad mentem usque externa, 

 super opercnhiiii c/aiis/i. Membrana branchiostega su- 

 perne apuiildid, infra non isthmo annexa nee cum pari 

 suo conjugata, radiis sex sustentata. 



Squamae nulla. Cutis Icevissimus. Linea lateralis pos- 

 tice summum dorsum atlingens. Anus niedianus, pa- 

 pilla nulla. 



Pinnee pectorales satis magna;, pauciradiatoi, humiles, po- 

 sitioiie forsitaiique Juiictione veiilrales pinnas quce 

 desunt simulantes ; radiis tenuibus mdivisis omnibus 

 urticulatis. 



Pinna dorsi pinnam dorsalem Agriopi referens, per totum 

 dorsum ab e.vtremo fronte ante ociilos ad pinuam caudte 

 usque cui membrana counexa regnans : radiis iirticu- 

 lalis ejus et pinncB ani attenuatis vix a radiis uou arti- 

 cular ibus, Jiexilibus, uumerosioribus oculo nudo dig- 

 noscendis. 



Pinna ani a pinna caudw discreta. Radii piinne caudcc 

 indivisi, tenues, articulati. 



Vertebree circiler 35, quarui/i 18 ad caudam perlinentes. 



Pat.ecus fkonto. Richardson. 



Pat<BCUS fronto, species uuica adliuc coguila. 



Radii:— Br. 6; D. 24ll6; A. 11|15; C. 10; P. 8. 



Plate XIII., figs. 1, 2, natural size. 



We have seen but a single example of this very curious 



