276 10 



teleosts) produced in front of the postfrontal, forming the inferior part of the post- 

 orbital process. 1 have not found any orbitosphenoid. 



The basioccipital (ob) is laterally compressed, its occipital condyle broad, 

 transversely ovoid, and convex. The parasphenoid (PI. I, fig. 3) (pa) reaches far 

 behind, where like the adjoining basioccipital it is compressed; between the prootics 

 it broadens and in the orbits its upper margins send out a process in front of the 

 opening for the 5th nerve in the prootics. The anterior part is situated between the 

 prefrontals and its pointed front end stops on the mesethmoid without reaching 

 the vomer, a peculiar feature also found in Fistularia and Solenostomiis, but as far 

 as I know in no other teleost. The greater part of the lower face of the beak 

 belongs to the vomer (vo); the keelsliaped front end of the latter carries a longi- 

 tudinal strip of numerous small teeth. 



Infraorbitals are wanting. The bone (ao) connecting the mesethmoid with the 

 prefrontal 1 think represents the antorbital (preorbital), but it does not enclose any 

 lateral line canal. 



The opercular apparatus (PI. I, fig. 4) shows the usual 3 elements; the inter- 

 operculum (io) is an elongated thin plate mostly covered by the preoperculum and 

 reaching from the lower front end of the suboperculum to the mandibular articu- 

 lation, connected with a short ligament to the angular. 



The hyomandibular (by) is obliquely directed forwards, its front face is con- 

 cave, the inner margin of the concavity being somewhat produced, like a wing; 

 the lower end is a thin cartilage connected with the proximal end of the sym- 

 plectic (sy). The latter is extremely thin and so firmly joined with the preoperculum 

 (pro), that it requires the utmost care to make out the boundaries; viewed from the 

 inner face only the posterior end and the distal part are more easily seen, the 

 preoperculum covering the rest so completely] that only an exceedingly narrow 

 brim may be detected along the upper margin of the preoperculum ; viewed from 

 the outside (PI. I, fig. 4) only the extreme proximal end is hidden bj' the preoper- 

 culum. The quadrate (qu) is very large, sculptured on part of the outer face with 

 fine striæ radiating from the neighbourhood of the articular head for the man- 

 dible. The palatine (pa) is small, its anterior part, which sends out a prominent 

 and relatively well developed maxillary process, meets its fellow from the other 

 side at the front end of the mesethmoid (PI. 1, fig. 2); behind, the palatine bifur- 

 cates (PI. I, fig. 1); the upper branch is wedged in between the mesethmoid and 

 the vomer, the lower branch covers the pointed and slender anterior end of the 

 entopterygoid (PI. I, fig. 4) (ept). A separate ectopterygoid is wanting. Where this 

 bone ought to be, the entopterygoid broadens into a plate firmly joining the oblique 

 anterior margin of the quadrate. The rest of the entopterygoid is a thin plate 

 the upper margin of which embraces the lateral edges of the cranial beak, 

 formed by the vomer and the mesethmoid. Behind the entopterygoid follows 

 the mefapterygoid (ml), the narrow anterior part of which in the same man- 

 ner embraces the edge of the mesethmoid, while the posterior broader part 



