69 



Two magnified views of the jaws are sketched in out- 

 line on a separate piece of paper, in which each jaw is re- 

 presented as forming only one piece, as in Diodon, but the 

 cutting edge instead of being even or only slightly crenated, 

 is deeply notched, producing conical cusps resembling those 

 of the Balistkl(e. Two rounded notches in the upper jaw 

 form one mesial cusp, and an angular point on each side. 

 On the lower jaw there are three conical cusps, slightly 

 blunted. The body is inflated like that of one of the most 

 distensible Tetrodoiites, and the snout is short and slen- 

 der. The belly is rounded and prominent, without any 

 indication of a pelvic keel or projecting point of the bone. 

 The dorsal spine stands as is usual in Aleiderius over the 

 orbit, and has the common triangular slip of membrane be- 

 hind it. The second dorsal and anal fins are highest an- 

 teriorly, but with rounded summits, and terminate so as to 

 leave a rather slender trunk of the tail between them and 

 the caudal, which is convex at the end. The branchial 

 opening is a little above the base of tlie pectoral. An en- 

 larged view is given of the spines, which cover the body 

 thickly, in which they are represented as having semi-lan- 

 ceolate bases with slender hair-like tips, and as being closely 

 tiled on each other in a quincuncial manner. The length 

 of the figure is 4 inches, and the height of the body 

 2-| inches. 



The ground colour is emerald-green or bright grass- 

 green, which is traversed longitudinally by seven inter- 

 rupted dark brown stripes, two of which unite anteriorly ; 

 nine short bars radiate from all sides of the orbit, and on 

 the belly and flanks beneath the lowest lateral stripe there 

 are many white specks. The rays of the caudal are grass- 

 green, spotted in cross rows with umber-brown ; the pecto- 

 rals have a neutral tint. The dorsal and anal are yellow, 

 with three rows of black specks between the bases of the 

 rays, and four rows of pale specks disposed in pairs be- 

 tween the tips of the rays. 



Hab. Coast of Australia. 



ScARUS ACROPTILUS. Richardson. 

 Radii:— D. 24; A. 13; C. 12. (Bauer's drawing). 



For the knowledge of this very handsome fish we are in- 

 debted to the pencil of Mr. Bauer, not having seen any 

 account of it in the ichthyological works we have con- 

 sulted. It differs from other Scari, in the first three rays 

 of the dorsal being higher than the rest, and the second 

 ray taller than the other two. The rays of the dorsal and 

 anal are also more numerous than in the other Scari, and 

 they are all represented as tapering to a point, no distinction 

 being shown between the spinous and articulated rays, the 

 thickness of the membrane probably having prevented the 

 difference from being evident. The last rays of both fins 

 are divided to the base. The jaws have the usual form of 

 Scariis, with a slight, in-egular crenature on the edge and 

 without any spinous or tiled teeth. 



The body has a very regular elliptic form, its height be- 

 ing contained thrice and one-third in the length, caudal 



included. The upper and under profile of the head are alike 

 and enter regularly into the curves of the ellipse, the head 

 being moderately blunt. The ground colour of the body 

 is green, with two rows of oblong purplish black blotches 

 forming interrupted bars on the sides. The cheek is lilac, 

 and a stripe of the same hue, with yellow and blue edges, 

 passes over the gill-cover. Three azure stripes cross 

 the temples. The under jaw is yellow, with a broad black 

 mark which extends under the green pectoral. The dor- 

 sal is orange-yellow, traversed by a lake-red stripe with 

 carmine edges, the extreme edge of the fin being green ; 

 an oval bluish black spot reaches from the third to 

 the sixth ray. The ventrals are yellow, with green rays, 

 and have each a large violaceous mark with blue edges in 

 the centre. The anal is green at the base, then yellow tra- 

 versed by a red stripe and marked by oblique lake bars 

 near the edge, which is yellow. The caudal, which is even 

 or slightly convex at the end, has a lake-coloured mem- 

 brane marked with red bars or spots and green rays. The 

 eye is green, with a black pupil and yellow iris. 

 Hab. Coasts of Australia. 



Crenidens tephe^ops. Richardson. 



Radii:— B.6; D.14|13; A. 3|11; C.15f ; P. 17; V.l|5. 



Kowelany, Aboriginal appellation at King George's Sound. Icon. 

 Drawings of Fish of King George's Sound, by D. Assist. Comm. Gen. 

 Neill, in Br. Mas. No. 10. Drawing lOj inches long. 



Plate XLI., fig. 1, half natural size ; 2, magnified. 



One member of this genus [Cr. triglyphus), has been al- 

 ready described at page 36, and represented on plate 35, 

 fig. 2. The species now under consideration, has less of 

 the physiognomy of Cr.forskalii, and more resembles the 

 Melauichthys of the ' Fauna Japonica' (tab. 39),* which does 

 not appear to me to be a distinct generic form from Creiii- 

 dens. Cr. tephra-ops is stated by Mr. Neill to be an inha- 

 bitant of rocky places in King George's Sound, where it is 

 occasionally taken by the hook. Our figure and the follow- 

 ing description are executed from a dried specimen, which 

 is 11 inches long. 



Form elliptical, with the profile of the face arched and 

 gibbous before the nostrils. The head foi-ms one quarter 

 of the length, excluding the caudal, and is equal to three 

 diameters and a quarter of the round bony orbit. The eye, 

 placed near the profile, is equi-distant from the upper lip 

 and tip of the gill-cover. The nostrils are pierced imme- 

 diately before the anterior angle of the orbit. The cleft of 

 the mouth, which is moderately wide transversely and 

 arched, does not reach so far back as the nostrils. When 

 viewed in front, the upper jaw has somewhat of a horse- 

 shoe fonn, which is imparted to it by a foi-ward curvature 

 of the limbs of tlie intermaxillaries. These bones are to- 

 lerably stout and convex at the symphysis, and their tips 

 move on the outside of the post-mandibulars, completely 



* Crenidens melanichlhys, Richardson on the Ichlh. of the Seas of 

 China and Japan, Report of Brit. Assoc, for 1845, p. 243. 



N 



