61 



tion, in a less marked degree than most of the other form s 

 included in the group. The inlia-orbitar chain abuts 

 against the upper end of the preoperculum only, instead of 

 sending a strong branch across the middle of the cheek to 

 the bend of the bone. Trachinus lipera, retained by Cuvier 

 among the Perciihe, shows a more distinct bony extension 

 of the suborbitars which crosses the temples to the tip of 

 the preoperculum, and in the Uranoscopi the cheeks are 

 largely covered by the suborbitar plates. In fact the Tra- 

 chini and Uranoscopi associate more naturally with the 

 family to which Agrioptis belongs than with the Perciche. 

 Most of the Joues cuimssees live habitually at the bottom 

 of the sea and travel over the sand or mud in search of their 

 food. The Trighe possess simple, free rays under the pec- 

 torals, which they use as feet, and perhaps also as organs 

 of touch. The projecting thick tips of the lower rays of 

 the pectorals, and frequently also of the ventrals and anals, 

 so evident in the majority of the members of the group, are 

 most likely formed for similar uses, and in this structure the 

 Trachini and Uranoscopi agree, as well as in the copious- 

 ness of their mucigenous glands. Most of the tish that 

 dwell at the bottom of the sea and burrow^ in the sand re- 

 quire to have their skins well lubricated, a fact which may 

 be gathered from an examination of the Batrac/iid<e, Mu- 

 r<Bnid(e, Siluridw, Gohiidce, and of the family now under 

 consideration. 



As far as I have been able to ascertain, the Agriopi exist 

 in the southern hemisphere only ; and of the five species 

 that have been described, three frequent the Cape of Good 

 Hope and two the coasts of Chili and Peru. Three have 

 bristly or warty skins, viz. Ag. verrucosus (Cuv.), Agr. 

 spinifer, (Smith, South Afr. Zool.), and Agr. hispidus, 

 (Jenyns, Zool. of Voy. of Beagle) ; while two, Agr. torvus 

 and Agr. peruvianus have smooth skins : Agr. leucopcecilus 

 being also quite smooth, brings the numbers of the smooth 

 and rough-skinned species that are known, to an equality. 



This fish differs from other species, in being rather less 

 tapering posteriorly. The height of the body is one-third 

 of the total length, and is greatest at the attachment of the 

 ventrals, where the thickness is less than half the height. 

 The head forms one-fourth of the entire length. The pel- 

 vic bones being depressed, makes the height at the nape 

 considerable, and brings not only the ventrals, but even 

 the pectorals beneath the level of the under part of the 

 bead. The small terminal mouth is rather above the level 

 of the lower third of the body. The orbit having a some- 

 what ovate fonn and encroaching upon the profile, is mid- 

 way between the orifice of the mouth and gill-opening, be- 

 ing rather more than the length of its own diameter from 

 each. Its upper border being a little elevated, renders the 

 interorbital .space slightly concave. This space is broadest 

 behind, where it equals the vertical diameter of the eye. 

 There are no spinous points whatever on the head, but the 

 bony surfaces are granidated, the grains being ranged on 

 the disks of the preoperculum and parietal bones in radiat- 

 ing lines, and in two parallel lines in the interorbital space. 

 Faint streaks not gi'anular are perceptible on the opercu- 

 lum, which is clothed with smooth integument. An 

 elevated, linear, granulated disk of one of the bones of the 

 humeral chain lies behind the small vertical gill-opening. 

 The gill-membrane is continuous with the adjoining inte- 



gument, and only three gill-rays shew through it in the 

 dried specimen. The teeth on the jaws are crowded and 

 setaceous, higher on the lower jaw, and not forming broad 

 dental plates on either. The vomer appears to be quite 

 smooth. 



The dorsal is shaped like that of the rest of the genus, 

 but is not so steeply arched as in some species. The fifth 

 spine is the highest, and considerably exceeds half the 

 height of the body. The last spine is considerably taller 

 than the penultimate one, and the soft part of the fin rises 

 above the nine posterior spines. The ventrals arc attached 

 a little posterior to the pectorals and opposite to the 

 seventh dorsal spine. This spine is striated, stout, and 

 one-third shorter than the jointed rays which are un- 

 branched. The pectoral rays, eight in number, are also 

 unbranched, and the lower four have the membrane deeply 

 notched between their tips. There is no vestige of a spine 

 in the anal fin. Length of the specimen about nine and a 

 half inches. 



Hab. South-.Australian Sea. 



Lota breviuscula. Richardson. 



Radii:— B. 7; D. 8— 48; A. 50; C. ]7|; V.-2-2; V. 6. 



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



This small ling approaches the Lota bacchus of Forster, 

 [rubiginosa, Solauder?) in its form and characters, and in a 

 less degree the L. magellanica and rhacina of the same 

 naturalist, but we cannot venture to refer it to any of these 

 species on account of the difference in the numbers of its 

 rays.* 



The length of the head, which scarcely equals the height 

 of the body, forms a fourth of the whole length of the fish, 

 and the thickness before the first dorsal is equal to two- 

 thirds of the height. The profile rises gently with a slight 

 convexity from the obtuse snout to the first dorsal. The 

 eyes are a diameter of the orbit apart, and are placed at the 

 same distance from the tip of the snout, but fully two dia- 

 meters from the edge of the gill-cover. The mouth is be- 

 neath and rather behind the end of the snout. The jaws 

 are armed by villifonn bands of teeth of even height, and 

 the pharyngeals are rough with minute teeth, but the front 

 of the vomer, the palate-bones, and rest of the mouth are 

 covered with smooth white integument. The scales ai-e of 

 moderate size compared with those of other Gadida, there 

 being only seventy-two rows between the gill-opening and 

 caudal fin. They cover all the head except the preorbitar, 

 jaws, inter-operculura and gill-membrane. The first dor- 

 sal, having a triangular form, stands as high as the second 

 one and contiguous to it. The vent is under its posterior 

 rays. The ventrals are slender and are split at the tip into 

 two unequal filaments. Caudal rounded. Length of spe- 

 cimen nearly seven inches ; its colour faded. 



Hab. Bay of Islands in New Zealand. 



* Gadw rubigimms, Sol. B. 7 ; D. 10— A.— C— P.— V.— 



„ 6acp/jMS, Forst. 7; 10—42; 40; 26; 22; 6. 



„ magellanicns,Yoxii. 6; 5—31; 25; 14; 17; 6. 



„ rAacint/i, Fovst. 7; 5—68; 62; 28; 22; 6. 



L 



