104 



maculosm and intertbictus, which are spotted in a similar 

 way, have also smaller pectorals. 



Gape of the mouth moderately large, exceeding one 

 third of the distance between the point of the snout and 

 the gill-opening, and equal to the greatest height of the 

 body. Eye midway between the tubular anterior nostrils 

 and angle of the mouth, small. Snout narrow and projecting 

 some way beyond the nostrils, but not acute. Second 

 nasal opening on the edge of the lip, under the eye, with the 

 usual lobulets. Lower jaw rounded at the end, a very little 

 shorter than the upper one. The integuments of the head, 

 above and below, including the jaws, the neck, the throat, 

 and the belly half-way to the anus, are wrinkled by short 

 furrows, which for the most part run longitudinally and 

 parallel to each other. The height of the body equals the 

 twenty -eighth part of the whole length. The pectoral is 

 moderately large, equalling in length the distance from the 

 jjosterior part of the orbit to the point of the snout. The 

 dorsal commences a short way farther back than the tip of the 

 pectoral, and terminates within half an inch of the acute point 

 of the tail, oppo.site to the end of the anal, both fins having 

 previously gradually lowered. The lateral line, consisting 

 of a continuous series of short tubes with porous openings, 

 is conspicuous enough. The jaws and nape are covered with 

 large black blotches, sepai'ated by smaller pale, probably 

 yellowish, intervals. The nuchal black patch descends like 

 a ring a little way behind the mouth, and runs forward on 

 llie under surface between the limbs of the mandible, and 

 backwards nearly to the gill-opening. There is a yellow- 

 ish patch at the corner of the mouth, and another on the 

 side of the throat. The top of the head and temples, and 

 the back and sides of the neck, have a bluish-gray colour, 

 with many round black dots the size of swan-shot. The 

 back and sides are marked by many large brownish-black 

 roundish or oval spots, from the size of a chestnut down to 

 that of a pea, irregularly disposed, but with three principal 

 rows, the middle one being on the lateral line and num- 

 bering about twenty-seven spots : these mostly alternate 

 with the series on the top of the back. The spots on the 

 belly are small and distant. The colours are described 

 from the dried specimen, and have faded on the fins, which, 

 however, retain traces of spots. 



Teeth rather stoutly subulate, longish and considerably 

 recurved. The small and narrow nasal disk is ai-med by 

 five, one in front, one on each side, and two in contact 

 with the commencement of the vomerine series, which is 

 strictly single, and contains ten or eleven larger than the 

 nasal ones, and more recui'ved. Palatine teeth biserial, 

 the two rows differing little in the size of the teeth, and the 

 outer one being less crowded. There are three small teeth 

 in a single series before the beginning of the two rows, and 

 perhaps some also behind ; but the mode in which the 

 specimen has been prepared prevents me from seeing dis- 

 tinctly the dentition at the corner of the mouth. The 

 mandibular teeth are also biserial. 



Length 56 inches. To anus 26 inches. To gill-open- 

 ing .5'6 inches. Length of gape 2 inches. Height of body 

 about 2 inches. 



The origin of the specimen deposited in the Museum at 



Haslar is unknown, but it is supposed to have come from 

 the West Indies. 



Ophisurus ocellatus. Le Sueur. 



MurtBtwpsis ncellaia, Le Sueur, Jt 

 phia, V. PI. 4, f. 3. 



Acad. Nat. Sc. of Philadel- 



All the teeth slenderly subulate or acicular, except the 

 five marginal nasal teeth, which are subulate and acute. 

 Twelve or fourteen uniserial vomerine teeth commence 

 close to the small nasal disk. Palatine teeth biserial, Irom 

 eighteen to twenty in each row ; the outer ones inclined to- 

 wards the corner of the mouth, acicular, not coming quite 

 forward enough to meet the vomerine teeth ; inner row a 

 little taller, and inclined towards the mesial line. Mandi- 

 bular teeth also biserial ; the inner row not so tall as the 

 outer one ; both rows inclined the same way as the corre- 

 sponding palatine ones. Gape of the mouth pretty large, 

 and the jaws possess considerable lateral extensibility. 

 Snout depressed, but when seen from above appearing 

 conical and acute. The short tubular anterior nostrils 

 have a very small acute snout projecting between them. 

 Under jaw shorter and more rounded at the tip. A con- 

 spicuous row of pores on the limbs of the mandible, and 

 many pores on the upper lip and snout. Eye over the 

 middle of the gape. 



Pectoral rather large, lanceolate, and supported by sixteen 

 rays. Other fins low throughout. The dorsal commences 

 over the tip of the pectoral, and ends, together with the 

 anal, about two lines from the tip of the slender conical 

 point of the tail. Lateral line a raised tube, with a series 

 of pores beneath it. A fine white porous line crosses the 

 occiput, makes a sudden rectangular flexure forwards on 

 the temples, and then descends to the corner of the mouth. 

 When the skin is viewed through an eye-glass, it appears 

 to be finely furrowed longitudinally, both on the back and 

 belly. The general colour is grayish-brown, which is due 

 to a multitude of microscopical blackish dots on a fawn- 

 coloured ground. The belly is whitish. There are from 

 nineteen to twenty-one round milk-white spots on the 

 lateral line, about the size of peas ; the first one placed 

 over the gill-opening, and five small white dots on the top 

 of the neck over this lateral spot. A pale brown stripe 

 runs on each side of the anal. 



Length I3'5 inches. To anus 6"1 inches. To gill- 

 opening 16 inch. Length of gape 0-65 inch. 



Hab. Gulf of Mexico. 



A specimen exists in the Museum at Haslar, and there 

 is another in the British Museum. An Op/iisiirux in the 

 Leyden Museum, labelled as having belonged to " L'ancien 

 cabinet," is most likely referrible to this species. The in- 

 dividual, in the same Museum, which is labelled " Oph. 

 gutlatus of Valenciennes," has larger white spots and a 

 less acute tail ; but 1 write from imperfect recollection, 

 not having made descriptions or drawings of the Leyden 

 fish. 



