52 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



corresponding laxity of the jaws, gave the mouth an extraordinary 

 power of expansion. Yet, ichen the angles of thejmvs are approximated, 

 and the bones of the lower jaic brought to their parallelism, the mouth closes 

 icith exactness, and in that state gives no indication of the size to which 

 it spreads when open. 



" The loicer jaw ivas toothless ; but the ni)])er jaw for about an inch 

 and a lialf was furnished with a row of teeth, bony and hooked." (P. S3.) 



" There were two gill openings, one on each side of the neck below, 

 resembling slits, about an inch and a half long. The gills themselves 

 are situated within the duplicatures of the openings in three bundles or 

 divisions, suspended by membranes and sldn^ (P. 84.) 



" The dorsal fin begins about 11 inches from the tip of the upper jaw, 

 and readies, like a fillet or a narrow riband, quite to the tail, and at its 

 extremitj'joined the anal. 



" The anal fin commenced just behind the vent, and was continued also 

 quite to the tail, and there joined the dorsal. 



" The caudal fin was so faint or indistinct that I have hardly thought it 

 worthy of notice. I ought to remark that several hair-like rays may be 

 distinguished. The rays of these tvere very numerous, but it was impos- 

 sible to count them. 



" Thus the dorsal and anal fins are united with each other or are con- 

 nected with the caudal. 



" The pectoral fins are situated immediately behind the gill openings. 

 They are very small and feeble, of a squarish shape, and from one-half 

 to one-quarter of an inch long. They were of a fleshy consistence, and 

 contained about thirty slender rays." (Pp. 84, 85.) 



"■ From the head a whitish line extended on each side of the back, as far 

 as its bony constitution could be traced. Two similar stripes, one on 

 each side, proceed from the vent backward to the tail, but they are less 

 distinct, and disappeared sooner. Between the former is situated the 

 dorsal fin ; between the latter, the anal fin." (P. 84.) 



" The specimen was a female, and the colour a dusky brown, resem- 

 bling that of a dark eel." (P. 82.) 



" The roes were very distinct, the ovaries being large and full of 

 eggs." (P. 82.) 



The fish thus described was considered to be identical with the 

 Stylephorus of Shaw, now found to be a representative of the family 

 Trachypterid(e. Dr. Mitchill observed that " the points of resemblance 

 between this animal and the Stylephorus described by Shaw may be 

 easily gathered even from his bad description and worse figure. They 

 are both furnished with the same curiously organized mouth, the same 

 fins and elongated caudal process. The lateral line described above 

 corresponds with the "double fibre" of Shaw, and they are both scale- 

 less. In the Stylephorus the dorsal is described as not being continu- 

 ous. He says, however, " I am not without my doubts whether it might 

 not, in the living animal, have run quite to the tail, and whether the 

 specimen might not have received injury in that part." 



