no 



opening 21 inches. Height of body 0'75 inch. Thick- 

 ness 0'60 inch. 



Hab. Cook's Strait, New Zealand. 



CoNGUUS PEOTERvus. Richardson. 



The head only of this species is preserved in the Bri- 

 tish Museum, and the locality where it was taken is un- 

 known. It belongs, with those that follow, to Mc Clelland's 

 genus, Murteiiesox, but I have not been able to identify 

 any of the specimens that I have seen with the species which 

 he has figured and described in the Calcutta Journal of 

 Science. 



Nasal disk a nearly circular dilatation at the end of the 

 narrow upper jaw, set round its anterior half with four sub- 

 ulate acute teeth, inclined backwards, and a smaller tooth 

 enveloped in the soft parts lietween eacli pair. There is a 

 deep smooth cavity on each side of the mesial ridge behind 

 the nasal disk; the ridge itself is undulated, being first 

 depressed in a curve and then arched. The descending 

 curve behind the nasal disk is armed by a row of four 

 acute conical teeth, scarcely visible to the naked eye; and 

 after a small interval follow fifteen tricuspid and pretty 

 large teeth, on the arched part of the vomerine ridge. 

 These teeth are compressed, with an acute anterior and 

 posterior edge, and very sharp central cusps. The lateral 

 cusps are small and rounded, and placed near the roots of 

 the teeth : they are largest on the ])osterior teeth. The 

 seventh, eighth and ninth of the tricus]3id teeth are the 

 largest, the anterior and posterior ones diminishing gra- 

 dually as they recede fiom them. The series is flanked on 

 each side by many small, compressed, but obtuse and 

 rounded teeth, not set in regular order, Ijut in some ])laces 

 phiced three or four dee]i, in others only one. Palatine 

 dental surface a long narrow ellipsis, acute at each end, 

 and covered with many small teeth, like the lateral vomerine 

 ones, the outer marginal ones being larger, atjd rising above 

 the rest ; and in the middle of the concave dental plate there 

 is a smooth, irregularly wide, line, on which the teeth are not 

 developed. Tiie palatine teeth come in contact with tlie 

 vomerine series at the seventh vomerine tooth, just before 

 the posterior nostril. The lateral mandibular teeth are 

 like the mesial vomerine ones, but tlie series is more even, 

 and the basal lobes less evident. Minute compressed and 

 blunt teeth flank each side of the principal series, mostly, 

 but not wholly, arranged in one row. The symphysial 

 apex of the mandible forms an oval disk, which is armed, 

 on the margin on each side of the symphysis, by nine 

 small, acute, subulate teeth ; and there are on each side 

 williin the disk three tall, stout, subulate, very acute teeth, 

 the middle one of each side being the tallest. 



Anterior nasal-openings small, tubular, on each side 

 of the snout ; posterior ones before the eyes, midway be- 

 tween the mouth and top of the forehead. Eyes, over the 

 posterior third of the mouth, silvery. Head brownish and 

 mottled. 



Hab. Unknown. 



CoNGRUS TRicusPiDATUs. McClelland. [Murainesox) . 



Murctnesox tricuspidata, McClelland, Calcutta Jouin, iv. t. 21, f. 1. 

 Eicliaidson, Iclitli. Vov. of Sulphur, p. 105, PI. 51. (. 2. Icon. Reeves, 

 a. 41. Hardvv. 295, Brit. Mus. 



Nasal teeth long and strong, three on each side of the 

 symphysis. Vomerine teeth uniserial, tricuspid, the mid- 

 dle cusp being much larger and taller than the lateral ones. 

 The largest tooth is the third from the last, and the others 

 gradually diminish in size as they recede from it. In 

 some of the small anterior ones the lateral cusps are obso- 

 lete, but they are sufficiently distinct in the nine posterior 

 ones. Palatine teeth uniserial, small, sharp-edged, but not 

 pointed, ranged in an even cutting series. When examined 

 by a lens, these teeth show a slight indication of side lobes. 

 Mandibular teeth, like the palatine ones, with an outer 

 row of small, acute and closely-set teeth. At the end of 

 tlje jaw there are three tall subulate teeth on each side of 

 the symphysis. The dorsal commences over the gill- 

 o]jening. Lateral line marked by a series of oval white 

 spots. In the recent fish the colour of the upper parts is 

 oil-green, with a glazing of duck-green along the lateral 

 line and top of the head. The vertical fins edged with 

 black. 



Length 15f inches. To anus 5'4 inches. To gill- 

 opening 2'1 inches. 



Hab. Coasts of China and India. The Chinese name 

 it the " hook-nosed " or " stork eel." 



CoNGRUS ANGU3TIDENS. Richardsou. 



Nasal disk armed by eight tall, subulate, marginal teeth, 

 and three small subulate ones on the mesial line. Vomer- 

 ine teeth eight, distantly set, taller and much narrower 

 than those of proferi-tis, with sharp edges, and a very acute 

 tapering point, the lateral cusps being small, narrow and 

 obtuse. In front of these, on the mesial line, close to the 

 nasal disk, there are three small acute teeth ; and on each 

 side an irregular row of compressed teeth, of various sizes 

 and heights, the bigger ones ap]jroaching the large tricuspid 

 ones in form. Palatine teeth small, ranged exteriorly in an 

 even row composed of lanceolate, rather acute, cutting teeth, 

 witli small ones at the base of the row outside, standing for 

 the most part, but not regularly, two deep ; and interiorly 

 forming a band of short, slender, cylindrical obtuse teeth, 

 placed two or three deep. Mandibular teeth, like the prin- 

 cipal vomerine ones, not much smaller, but very slightly in- 

 clined backwards and close set. They are highest in the 

 , middle of the limb of the jaw, and become gradually lower 

 in each direction. There are one or two irregular rows of 

 minute granular teeth within, and on the outside of the chief 

 series there is a very even row of small, rounded, compressed 

 teeth. The disk at the end of the jaw is bordered with 

 acute and subulate teeth, and there are on each side within, 

 four stout, subulate, tall and very acute teeth. The lower 

 jaw is conspicuously' shorter than the upper one. Eye 



