139 



and it is about one-third less than the space between the 

 orbits. In the shortness of the snout this species resem- 

 bles Salmo fa'tens of Bloch, 384, {. 2, 5'. varius of Lace- 

 pede, V. iii. f 3, Osmertis lenuiiscatus. Idem, v. vi. f. 1, and 

 Salmo badimottah of Russell, 172, but its form is not 

 identical with any of these figures. 



The cleft of the mouth is equal to two-thirds of the 

 length of the head, and its middle, when viewed laterally, 

 corresponds to the centre of the eye. The jaw teeth are 

 slenderly subulate, with thin, two-edged, very acute and 

 transparent points, none of them being barbed or hastate.* 

 The premaxillary teeth are arranged in four rows, in a 

 quincunnial order, but not very regularly, and they are 

 rather remotely placed in their respective rows. The teeth 

 of the outer row are very short, those of the inner one are 

 much taller, the intermediate rows being of intermediate 

 height. The anterior teeth of the inner row are curved in- 

 wards and backwards, while the posterior ones are inclined 

 a little forwards. The mandibular teeth are similar, but in 

 five rows. The palatine teeth are more crowded and regu- 

 larly set, in two rows, all inclined towards the mesial line, 

 the inner row being tallest, but scarcely equalling the 

 third row of the intermaxillaries in height. There is also 

 an elliptical patch of teeth within the palatine ridge, appa- 

 rently implanted on the ento-pterygoid, in which there are 

 five rows, all inclined inwards, and increasing in height 

 from the outermost to the innermost.f There are no teeth 

 on Jhe vomer. The teeth on the tongue are short, densely 



* Saurus nehereus of Buchanan-Hamilton (.S". ophiodon, Cuv.) has 

 long, slender, hastate teeth on the hrauchial arches ; and the fish which 

 I have considered to be the S. mriegatus of Commeison, in the ' Report 

 on the Ichthyology of China,' has hastate mandibular teeth. 



f Saurus argijrnphanes wants this dental plate, but has four rows of 

 palatine teeth. 



crowded, and scarcely visible to the naked eye, but by the 

 aid of a lens they are seen to bo stoutly subulate, acute, 

 and directed backwards. The teeth which cover the gular 

 surfaces of the branchial arches are more visible, and they 

 are similar in form and larger on the pharyngeals, but even 

 there they are not taller than the second and third rows on 

 the jaws.* 



The front ray of the ventrals stands a little before the 

 dorsal, and midway between the end of the snout and first 

 anal ray. The tip of the pectorals reaches as far back as 

 the first dorsal ray. The rays of the dorsal, anal and pec- 

 toral are connected at their bases to the body of the fish 

 by small slips of membrane, which are represented in 

 figure 1. The caudal is deeply forked. 



There are about fifty-seven rows of scales between the 

 gill-opening and caudal fin, and the scales of the lateral 

 line are bent in the middle, so as to form a ridge, not very 

 apparent anteriorly, but well marked, even and continuous, 

 though not high on the tail. The scales generally are ir- 

 regularly semicircular or semioval, the chord or base being 

 divided by three furrows into four lobes, and the free mar- 

 gins, with the adjoining parts of the disk, being undulated 

 (fig. 6). A scale from the lateral line (fig. 5) had only two 

 furrows, with a short wide central tube. A range of'more 

 elongated scales flanks the dorsal and anal, and there are 

 long pointed scales above and between the ventrals. 



The colours have been effaced by maceration in spirits, 

 but a series of small brown spots can still be traced on 

 the upper caudal ray. 



Length 8^ inches. Length of head 1-65 inch. 



Hab. Coast of North-west Australia. 



* Salmo variegaius, Commerson (Rich. Report, &c., p. 30) has verr 

 strong teeth on the tongue. 



