100 



small, biserial and blunt, and form a short row in accord- 

 ance with the small gape. 



Length 38 inches. To anus 18'75 inches. To gill- 



opening 



3 inches. 



This specimen came from the College of Surgeons, 

 where it was numbered 812. 

 Hab. Unknown. 



spots, of various sizes, fading into the ground tint, and 

 forming two principal rows on the flanks. The belly is 

 more white, the spots smaller and fainter. 



Hab. Rocky basins at Lancerolta, among sea-weeds. 



Ophisurus fasciatus. Thunberg. [Murwtia). 



Ophisurus pardalis. Valenciennes. 



Ophisurus pardatis, Valenc. Webb, et Bertli. Canaries, p. 90, PI. 16, 

 tig. 2. 



Though I have not seen a specimen of this fish, yet, to 

 render the account of the species more complete, I have 

 transferred the subjoined description of it from M. Valen- 

 ciennes' able account published in Webb and Bertholet's 

 book on the Canaries. 



It belongs to the group of OpJiisuri, which have blunt 

 teeth and rudimentary pectorals. Its cylindrical body be- 

 comes gradually conical at the end. The mean height of 

 the trunk is contained thirty-seven times and a half in the 

 whole length ; and the distance from the end of the snout 

 to the base of the pectoral is contained twelve times in the 

 same entire length, but only five limes up to the anus. 

 The head and cheeks are moderately swollen, owing to the 

 size of the crotaphite muscles. The mouth is cleft beyond 

 the eye, whose diameter is contained twice between its 

 anterior border and the lip of the snout, four times in the 

 length of the orifice of the mouth, and twice and a half 

 between the eyes. The region of the gills bulges consi- 

 derably ; the opening is small. The obtuse teeth are 

 ranked in two series along the intermaxillary (palate-bone 

 of Owen), which is articulated, as in the Aiiffuilliformes, to 

 the posterior border of the chevron of the vomer (nasal- 

 bone, Owen), which projects to the end of the snout. This 

 whole extremity of the vomer (nasal, Owen) and its body 

 (vomer, Owen), are covered with many rows of small obtuse 

 teeth. There is also a band on the limb of the mandible. 

 The two openings of the nostrils are tubular, and pierce 

 the edge of the jaw : the anterior one is near the extremity 

 of the snout, and its tube hangs down on one side like a 

 small barbel ; the posterior one opens under the middle of 

 the eye, and its orifice is covered by a tubular papilla 

 placed on its outer border. When the skin is removed, 

 one perceives a large nasal sac, which is covered by the 

 great nasal-bone (turbinate bone, Owen), which is vaulted 

 to make room for the nostril; beneath the sub-orbitar, in 

 form of a thin plate, edges the intermaxillary (palatine, 

 Owen). On raising the soft parts of the palate, we may per- 

 ceive a very thin palatine, succeeded by very small alar 

 bones, wholly rudimentary, which nevertheless form the 

 arch connected with the limb of the mandible. The dorsal 

 begins at the nape, ami appears to become higher and 

 lower several times in the course of its length. The anal 

 is more equal. The pectorals are very small, but yet their 

 rays are perceptible. The only vestige of a lateral line is 

 a series of distant pores, not easily traced. 



The ground colour is whitish, dotted with round brown 



Muriena fasciata, Thunberg, Spec. Ichtb. t. 2, f. 1. An. 1789—94. 



Gymnotkorax fasciatus, Bl. Schn. 529. 



Op/ihiswus alternan-s, Quoy et Gaini. Voy. du Freyc. PI. 45, f. 2. 



Teeth small, short-conical and bluntish. The oval nasal 

 disk is covered by eight or nine of them, which are conti- 

 guous to the commencement of the biserial vomerine ones. 

 The palatine teeth are uniserial, but they stand alternately 

 a little to the right and left. Mandibular teeth also uni- 

 serial. Pectoral minute, like a roll of skin, with no per- 

 ceptible rays under a common lens. Fins low, the anal 

 ending 3 inches from the tip of the tail, but a furrow, 

 pierced by a series of fine pores, occupies the interval. 

 Dorsal disappearing about f of an inch from the tip of the 

 tail. It is sufficiently distinct at the occiput, and, like the 

 anal, it lowers gradually before it ceases to be traceable. 

 The skin round the mouth is papular. The head is small, 

 the snout blunt, and the mandible shorter. The gape 

 small. The body compressed. 



The colour is bluish-gray, varied by thirty-three pale 

 chestnut-brown rings, which cross the fins, and in the in- 

 tervals there is generally one round brown sjiot, but occa- 

 sionally two, and then one of them is placed over the other. 

 Lateral line distinct. 



Length 2C'5 inches. To gill-opening IS inch. To 

 anus 12 inches. 



Tliree specimens exist in the British Museum, and there 

 is one in the Leyden Museum, from India, labelled Ophi- 

 surus colubrimis. 



Hab. Malay Archipelago. Indian Ocean. 



Ophisurus coutbrinus. Boddaert. 



Murmna colnbrina, Boddaert, apud Pall. Bevtr. xi. p. 5(3, t. 2, f. 3. 

 Au. 1781—90. 



Murmna aiinulala, Thunberg, Spec. Ichtb. viii. t. 1 , f . I. An. 

 1789—94. 



Gymnotkorax unnuhUus, Bl. Scbn. p. 527. 



Lacepede (v. p. 642, PI. 19, f 1) describes and figures a 

 Mureenophis colubriua, which he refers erroneously to the 

 Murcena coluhrbm of Boddaert, Thunberg and Gmelin. 

 The latter fish has about sixty rings of colour on the body, 

 which are alternately black and white ; whereas Lacepede's 

 figure, besides representing the fin as surrounding the 

 point of the tail, shows only about half that number of 

 rings. Having found a Murana in the British Museum, 

 which corresponds with I-acepede's figure above quoted, I 

 described it above at page 88, under the specific name of 

 colubrina, quoting Commerson as the discoverer, under the 



