93 



yet I cannot reconcile them with the drawing of tile, 308, 

 which is authenticated by a reference to Buchanan. 



Length 17'8 inches. To anus 9-25 inches. To gill- 

 opening 2"2 inches. 



Hab. India. 



MUR.ENA MELEAGRIS. Shaw. 



Murcena nieleagris, Shaw, Nat. Misc. pi. 220. Gen. Zool. p. .32. 

 MurtBHU pintAde, Quoy et Gairaard, Voy. de Freycenet, pi. 52, f. 2. 



Nasal teeth stoutly subulate, biserial ; the outer row 

 composed of teeth unequal in height, but none of them 

 very tall ; the inner row consisting of taller teeth ranged 

 in a semicircle. Three teeth on the mesial line of the 

 disk, the foremost being the tallest, and ranging with the 

 interior marginal row. Vomerine teeth conico-snbulate, 

 short and acute, disposed in one row anteriorly, but sepa- 

 rating into two posteriorly. Palatine teeth about fifteen 

 in the outer series, close set and reflex ; the first four aug- 

 ment successively in height, the fourth being the tallest in 

 the series ; the succeeding ones are considerably shorter, 

 and diminish gradually in size as they approach the corner 

 of the mouth. Tlie inner series stands at some distance 

 from the outer one, and is composed of eight tall widely 

 set teeth. At the fore part of the bone there are two teeth, 

 of intermediate height, between the rows, making three 

 I'ows there. Mandible a little recurved, and armed on 

 each limb by twenty-eight acute, slightly recurved teeth, 

 of unequal height, the inequality being greatest among the 

 anterior ones. At the end of the jaw there is an inner 

 semicircle of taller teeth, not far removed from the outer 

 one. 



Eye rather before the middle of the gape. Snout blunt- 

 ish, with the head apparently gibbous in front. Body 

 high and compressed. Posterior nostrils not tubular. 

 Dorsal commencing a very little before the gill-opening. 

 Anus one-thirteenth of the whole length, before the middle 

 of the fish. 



The colours of the specimen have partially perished, but 

 where they remain the ground tint is a rich chestnut- 

 brown, thickly studded with small pale spots, placed at 

 pretty regular distances in each locality. On the fore part 

 of the body they are mostly angular, lunate, or oblong ; on 

 the tail rounder and more distant, and none of them exceed 

 the head of the smallest pin in size. They extend to the 

 end of the snout. 



Length 20 inches. Length from end of snout to anus 

 9'35. Length from ditto to gill-opening 



This description is drawn up from Shaw's specimen pre- 

 served in the British Museum. 



Hab. Southern Ocean (Shaw). 



This gentleman says that it frequents " weedy pools 

 among the rocks on tlie north side of Bondy Bay, near 

 Sidney. It is very savage when irritated, and once while 

 I was collecting corallines in that locality a large indivi- 

 dual made a dart at my arm, and returned repeatedly to 

 the attack, swimming slowly about, winding among the 

 sea-weed, and raising its snout to the surface. This one 

 measured '31^ inches to the tip of the tail, 15^ to the anus. 

 Its depth behind the head was 2 inches, its breadth 1^, 

 and its circumference 5h'' (Mc Gillivray). 



Eye moderately large over the middle of the gape. 

 Teeth acute. Nasal ones biserial, but some are broken in 

 the specimen. Outer series consisting of about twelve 

 small acute ones; inner series of about seven or eight tall, 

 stoutly subulate, and much compressed teeth, the two rows 

 contiguous and partially blended. Mesial row slender and 

 subulate, not acute edged, the third one very tall and re- 

 curved. Vomerine teeth biserial in front, about six in 

 each row, uniting to form a single row of about seven, all 

 small and cylindrical, with conico-subulate cusps. Pala- 

 tine teeth biserial ; outer row composed of about fourteen 

 reflex, lanceolate teeth, with acute oblique tips. The inner 

 row is constituted by three tall, slender, subulate and re- 

 curved teeth, standing opposite to the fore part of the 

 outer row. On the fore quarter of the mandible there are 

 on each limb seven or eight small exterior teeth, with four 

 or five tall, recurved, stoutly subulate, interior ones, the 

 penultimate one of these being the largest. Most of the 

 larger teeth of the jaws have a minute notch in the middle 

 of their posterior edge, and some have also a notch in 

 front. The dorsal fin is not high, commences about half- 

 way between the occiput and gill-opening, and contains 

 3.56 rays to the apex of the tail. The rays at the end of 

 the tail are short, very slendei-, and much crowded. The 

 anal fin has been removed from the specimen. 



Mr. Mc Gillivray says that the colour was a " nearly 

 uniform pale green, changing after death to dark brown. 

 Several long interrupted dark streaks run along the throat, 

 which, together with the neck, is minutely marked, for the 

 most part perpendicularly, with short waved striae of pale 

 brown." 



Length 23|- inches. 



Hab. Australia. 



Obs. — The Miirene lineolee and M. Jiaveolee of Lesson 

 are represented as having much higher dorsals. (La Co- 

 quille, Plate 11, f I and 2). The Gijmnothorax wilsoni 

 of Schneider (p. 529), which is a New Holland species, 

 locally known by the name of " Banning," is ornamented 

 with broad roseate spots. 



MuR^NA OPHis. Riippell i 



MuR.ENA PRASINA. Richardson. 



Murana ophis, Riippell, Atl. 



About ten marginal nasal teeth, conical, subacute, and 



A dried skin of this species, existing in the British Mu- hooked backwards, with a posterior basal lobe, all slightly 



seam, was brought from Australia by Mr. Mc Gillivray. compressed, but having rounded edges. Mesial teeth ab- 



