NOTES ON SO^fE JAPANESE FISHES. 53 



body at origin of ventral 3 to Si ; snout 3 to 4s in head ; eye 

 2} to 3; interorbital 3| to 4i. D. VI, 110 to 125; V. 9 ; P. 

 13 ; C. 8. n 



Body rather oblong than elongate, strongly compressed ; upper 

 profile before and behind nape conspicuously slanting; lower outline 

 of body declining from chin to vertical through origin of dorsal and 

 then tapering from the latter to base of caudal ; the highest part 

 of body at origin of ventral ; caudal peduncle very slender. Head 

 short, higher than long, its profile steep, not vertical, almost straight 

 to nape. Eye lateral, high up, a little nearer tip of snout than 

 opercular flap ; maxillary plate large, higher than long, radiately 

 rugose, its breadth i its length. Bone of head thin as paper. Mouth 

 small, subvertical, protractile. Teeth very few, minute and feeble. 

 Angle of lower jaw beneath front of eye. Opercular bones thin, 

 rugose. Dorsal begininng above pupil of eye. In two young speci- 

 mens, respectively 7.5 and 8.3 cm. long as measured to base of caudal, 

 a few anterior rays of dorsal are very high, filamentous, reaching 

 beyond origin of ventral ; but in other two specimens, about 13.8 

 and 17.3 cm. long as measured to caudal base, the anterior rays 

 of dorsal are a little higher than the rest of the fin, the free 

 margin of the former being smoothly continuous with the outline 

 of the latter. Free margin of dorsal broadly rounded, the fin 

 extending to near base of caudal. Ventrals inserted just behind 

 pectorals, well developed, filamentous ; not reaching base of caudal, 

 but reaching beyond tip of caudal in young. Pectorals small, length 

 of the fin-rays slightly longer than diameter of eye. Caudal very 

 short ; its rays unbranched, none of them filiform ; the rays 

 project from all parts of caudal base, not from the upper parts 

 only. No anal. Lateral line distinct, runs medianly on side of 

 body, slightly curved, its convexity facing downwards. No scales ; 



