73 



very acute, set with a single, compact, even series of com- 

 pressed cutting teeth, of which there arc ahout forty-six 

 on each limb of each jaw, and though they are suffi- 

 ciently compressed to give them an incisorial character, 

 their tips are a little rounded. The jaws, of equal length, 

 have internal semi-elliptical areas, which are bounded by 

 the teeth. The chevron of the vomer, rather prominent, 

 acute-edged, and having a concave disk, is perfectly tooth- 

 less, and the palate bones are also smooth. Two pharyn- 

 geal bones on each side above the gullet are densely 

 crowded with short, conical, acute teeth, the outer row on 

 each bone being taller than the rest of the dental surface. 

 No teeth were detected on the lower union of the branchial 

 arches. Each of the four arches is furnished with two 

 rows of rather widely set, subulate, soft, cartilaginous pro- 

 cesses, but with no rigid teeth. The tongue, narrow, long 

 and free, has a dilated, spoon-shaped tip, formed by thin, 

 membranous edges. 



Both jaws have a broad, crescentic velum, and the ex- 

 terior lips above and below are much developed. The 

 horizontal extent of the upper lip when expanded is 

 shown, but not fully, by dotted lines in figure 2. The ex- 

 act form of the lip in this position is truncated on a line 

 with the apex of the intermaxillaries, where it is broadest, 

 and from tlience it gradually narrows to the angle of the 

 mouth, its outline being triangular. The under lips are 

 similar in form and extent; and both fold back above and 

 below on their respective jaws. The intermaxillary pedi- 

 cles equal the dental limb of the bone in length, and reach 

 back over the centre of the orbit, but are not protractile 

 beyond one-third of their length. The maxillary bone 

 forms no part of the circumference of the mouth, though its 

 lower end descends a little below the angle of the mouth, 

 passing close to it. The articulation of the lower jaw is 

 far back, posterior to tlie eye and contiguous to the lower 

 end of the preoperculum. The very narrow suborbitar 

 chain is perforated b^- a row of small pores, which reaches 

 from the nostrils round two-thirds of the orbit to the 

 temples. The large cheek is covered with small oblong 

 tiled scales, eleven or twelve rows in height ; the 

 scaly surface being bounded ])osteriorl\' by the mode- 

 rately curved, narrow, smooth disk of the preoperculum. 

 This bone inclines but slightly forward as it descends, and 

 its upper end is separated from the orbit by a scaly space 

 equal to the height of the cheek. The interoperculum lies 

 wholly behind the preoperculum, and the projecting heel 

 of the lower jaw moves against its inferior angle. The 

 operculum having an area scarcely equal to that of the in- 

 teroperculum, is triangular, its ))osterior angle being acute, 

 but not pungent. It is equalled in size by the subopercu- 

 lura, which has a curved edge, and gives a blunt form to 

 the gill-flap. All the gill-pieces are covered wilh Smooth 

 skin, as is also the top of the head backwards to the occi- 

 put, the only scaly parts being the cheek and supra-sca- 

 pular region. The gill-0])enings do not reach above the 

 point of the operculum, and curve a little forwards as they 

 descend to the isthnuis. The gill-membranes are united 

 to each other beneath, and are supported on each side by 

 six cylindrical, slightly curved rays. 



The scales of the body, elliptical or oval, are firmly im- 



bedded in the skin, and jiresent a roundish disk when in 

 situ. There are about 200 in a longitudinal row, and be- 

 tween 40 and 50 in height. Their structure is cycloid. 

 The lateral line runs backwards to beneath the tenth 

 dorsal ray, where it terminates.* It is composed of a 

 transparent, small elevation or tube on each scale. 

 The anus terminates the first third of the length of the 

 fish. 



Rays:— Br. 6; P. 10; D. 71; CIO; A. 60. All the 

 rays are articulated. In the specimen described in the 

 'Annals of Natural History' the caudal rays were more 

 readily distinguished, owing to their shortness and slen- 

 derness, from the anal and dorsal, than in the specimen 

 now before me, and each of these fins had a ray fewer, 

 but there are no other characters which lead rao to sup- 

 pose that they are distinct species. Each vertical ray has 

 a small fillet of scales in front, reaching about half-way 

 up. Some of the anterior rays of the dorsal and anal are 

 simple, though jointed, and all the rest are divided at the 

 tips once or twice. 



The intestinal canal, about four inches long, is a simjile 

 tube, with a single flexure. Its upper half is wider and 

 more plaited and wrinkled interiorly ; the under half be- 

 becomes gradually more slender and also more delicate in 

 its coats. There are no caica and no air-bladder. The 

 liver of the specimen which was opened had perished. 

 Its stomach contained fragments of a small, scaly fish, 

 nearly digested. 



Length 11 inches. To anus 3-4 inch. To gill-opening 

 r4 inch. To occiput I'l inch. Height of body Tl inch. 

 The dried specimen figured in the 'Annals of Nat. History' 

 measured nearly 14 inches. It was caught at Port Essing- 

 ton, where it is known to the aborigines by the name of 

 " Ambeetunbeet." 



Hab. Western and northern coasts of Australia. 



OxYBELEs. Richardson. 



Two examples of a novel generic form of fish exist in 

 Sir James Ross's collection. The place of their capture 

 was not recorded, but judging from the species associated 

 with them in the same jar, they would appear to have been 

 obtained on the coast of Tasmania or of the more southern 

 islands. The College of Surgeons received from Sir Eve- 

 rard Home, Bart., a third individual of the genus. It 

 was vomited by a Holothuria that was dredged up at Co- 

 pang, in the island of Timor. The following is a summary 

 of the general features of the genus : — 



Piscis apodiis; squamis carens. 



Corpus compressum, pngioniforme, caitdd acutissimu. 



Cutis polilus auro argeiiloque hie illic renilens. 



Anus gularis. Oculus innjiisciihis. 



Rictus oris w//? ampins pone ociiliim ^/issus, lerminalis, 

 ex iutervia-villis //i,i.rl/lin/iic infcriori coiis/riictus. 



Denies iiiten/iii.ill/ui//i/i, nia.vilUe inferiorifs oxsiumque 

 palati acerosi, conjerli ; itoitiiulli caiiiiii. Dentes ronie- 

 ris majores. Lingua laris. 



* In the pl.ite the line has been inath erteutly indicated all the way 

 down the side of the fish. 



