The following species have uot come under ray inspec- 

 tion, and I have not therefore been able to place them in 

 the above table. 



Murtciia unicolor, Laroche, Ann. Mus. xiii. 15. Low, 

 Tr. Gaol. Soc. 2, p. 192. M. picta, Thunberg, Spec. 

 Ichlh. 7, t. 1, f. 2, or Murwnophis pant/ierina, Lacep. v. 

 641. Murcenop/iis griaea, Lacep. v. 644, pi. 19, f. 1. 

 Murcena soidida, Cuv. Regne An. 2, p. 352. Seba 11, 69, 

 4. Murana reevesn, Richardson, Ichth. of Voy. of Sul- 

 jjhur, p. 109, pi. 49, f. 2. Gymnothorax roslrntiis, Agas- 

 siz. Pise. Bras. 50, a. Murcena (/eometrica, Riippel, All. 

 118, t. 30, f 1. M. tigrina, Tdera,'t. .30, f 2. M.Jlavimar- 

 ginata, Idem, t. 30, f. 3. M. hepatica, Idem, p. 120. M. 

 cinerasceiis. Idem, p. 120. M. hiliiieala, Idem, p. 120. 

 Muramophis linenta, Lesson, Voy. de la Coqiiille, t. 11, f. 



1. M.Jlaveola, Idem, f. 1. M. anathin. Low, Tr. Zool. Soc. 



2, p. 192. Gymnotliorax fava(jineus, Bl. Schn. t. 105, p. 

 323. G. afer, BI. 417, Schn. p. 326. G. wihoni, Schn. 

 p. 329. G. scriptus, Schn. p. 329. G. braziliemis, Schn. 

 p. 329. Strophidon Utcratuiii, J. M'Clelland, Calc. Journ. 

 of Nat. Hist. 1844, t. vii. fig. 2. Strophidon pundatum. 

 Idem, t. vii. f. 3 (nee M. punctata, Bl.). Tlncrodontis 

 reticulata, Idem, vii. f. 1 (non Gymnotliorax reticulatus, 

 Bl. 416, an M. iessellata, Richardson?) Gymnomnrana 

 viarniorata, Lacep. v. pp. 648, 650. Nettastoma melanu- 

 ra. Raff. Caratt. \A. 10, f. 1, or Alurana saga, Risso, prem. 

 ed. f. 39, and many others scattered in different works. 



MuR.ENA IJELKNA. Linn. 



Mumna helena, Bl. I. 153. La flutte, Eneycl. Melh. t. 23, f. 79. 



Radii:— B. 8; D. 332; A. 220 == 552 (Gibraltar spec). 



Plate XLIX., figs. 1 — 6 (Australian spec). 



Considerable variety exists in the shades of colour and 

 in the size and distinctness of the spots in different exam- 

 ples of this fish from the same locality, much exceeding 

 any peculiarity that I could detect on a careful compari- 

 son of the Australian specimen figured in plate 49, with 

 several others from Malta and Gibraltar. 



The teeth are subulate, more or less compressed, and 

 very acute, with thin, cutting edges towards the tip, the 

 nasal teeth, however, and the anterior mandibular ones 

 being considerably rounded in front towards the base. 

 All are inclined backwards. The posterior nasal and ad- 

 joining palatine tooth are the tallest of the series, and 

 these, with some of the neighbouring ones, and also a few 

 on the lower jaw, have an acute notch on the posterior 

 edge, with a slight basal lobe beneath it. Nasal teeth 

 about twelve, exclusive of about ten very short ones, alter- 

 nating with them, but rather exterior to their bases, so 

 that the marginal nasal teeth may be considered as making 

 an approach to a biserial arrangement. Three teeth on the 

 mesial line of the nasal disk long, slender and very acute, 

 the posterior pair being the tallest in the mouth. Eight 

 or nine small, acute, uniserial vomerine teeth. Palatine 

 teeth about ten, uniserial. There are about sixteen or 



seventeen conspicuous teeth on each limb of the mandible, 

 exclusive of small ones at the bases of the front teeth 

 as on the nasal bone. 



Posterior nostrils shortly tubular. Eye moderately 

 large, rather posterior to the middle of the rictus. The 

 upper and lower jaw are bordered by a row of large pores, 

 and there are also six on the top of the snout, arranged as 

 shown in figure 2. Vent one twenty-fourth part of the 

 whole length before the middle of the fish. Dorsal fin 

 commencing before the gill-opening, gradually increasing 

 in height until it attains its greatest elevation beyond the 

 vent. Both it and the anal are conspicuous towards the 

 lip of the tail, which is considerably compressed. 



The ground colour of the fish is dark, or blackish 

 brown, and is varied by white, oval, roundish, or irregular 

 marks of various sizes ; larger on the fore part of the fish, 

 and so crowded on the head as to produce merely a brown 

 and white mottling ; becoming gradually smaller and more 

 distinct posteriorly, and towards the tip of the tail arranged 

 so as to jjroduce a distant banded appearance. The white 

 marks include oval and roundish blackish spots, generally 

 darker than the ground colour. The throat and belly are 

 pale, with a more minute mottling, and the folds of the 

 throat, the corners of the mouth and the gill-openings are 

 black. Snout and lower jaw less spotted. 



The edges of the dorsal and anal are marked by a series 

 of small white dots, most crowded on the anal, and the 

 bases of these fins are spotted on each side by a less dense 

 series (vide fig. 5, giving a front view of part of the anal). 



The colours and spots of the Australian specimen de- 

 scribed above, are extremely similar to those of one ob- 

 tained at Gibraltar. Having had the skeleton of this latter 

 one made, I ascertained, by repeated and careful enume- 

 ration, that the rays of the dorsal were 332, and of the 

 anal 220, or 552 in all. The rays appear simple, and are 

 williout jierceptible joints, but most of them can be split 

 at the ti])s into two branchlets. There are 142 vertebras, 

 71 of which are abdominal, but the anal fin extends for- 

 wards to the sixty-third. The air-bladder is oval, and 

 about Ij inch in length. 



A second Gibraltar specimen differs slightly in the pale 

 parts, having a dilute orange tint, and in the mottling of 

 the belly being more resolvable into spots, like those on 

 the sides. 



The British Museum possesses a variety from the Bay 

 of Naples, in which the pale colour is reduced to roundish 

 and angular white specks, about the size of a pin's head, 

 placed at the corners of the black spots, and at first sight 

 the fish appears to be dark liver-brown, speckled with 

 white, but on a closer examination the figures of the dark 

 spots may be traced. Towards the end of the tail the 

 whitish dots are arranged in vertical bars, five or six in 

 each bar. The white specks on the edges of the fins are 

 more remote than in the more common variety. 



An example from Malta, in the Haslar Museum, has 

 fewer and smaller white dots. 



inches. inches. 



Length of two Australian examples 25 Gibraltar do. 30'0 



Distance between snout and anus 12 14'1 



„ „ gill-opening 2'86 3*6 



