632 DESCRIPTION OF ACROTUS WILLOUGHBYI. 



and tlio cud of the dorsal, but dissectiou reveals seven rajs in advance 

 of this. The dorsal begins much nearer the head in Icostcus^ and dis 

 section may show that rays are developed much farther in advance than 

 we have been able to distinguish them. Forty-one rays have been 

 counted in the dorsal, the longest of them little exceeding one-third 

 length of head. The caudal peduncle is as long as the head without 

 tlie snout. The caudal is large, emarginate; its middle rays four- 

 sevenths as long as the external rays and two-thirds as long as the head. 



The vent is at a dist{\nce from the tip of the snout equal to three 

 times, and from the base of the caudal a space equal to three and one- 

 third times, the length of the head. The first evident anal ray is at a 

 distance behind the vent equal to oue-sixth length of head. The anal 

 has thirty-eight rays, the longest a little less than one-third as long as 

 the head. 



The pectoral is placed close to the head aud nearly in the middle of 

 the height ; its length is two-thirds the length of the head ; it has twenty 

 rays. 



The lateral line has a slight curve over the pectoral and becomes 

 median about half-way between the pectoral and the vent. Skin 

 naked. Peritoneum very dark. 



Color chocolate brown ; inside of mouth and gill-openings rich, dark 

 brown. 



The following extracts from Mr. Willoughb.v's letter contain addi- 

 tional information about the species : 



'^ A few days ago 1 discovered a fish lying on this beach different 

 from any that I have ever seen before. It seemed to be perfectly fresh 

 and as if it had not been on shore more than an hour. The color of 

 the skin seemed to have been nearly all removed by washing about on 

 the sand. The [pectoral] fin and tail had been i)artly destroyed. The 

 lish was G feet long. The flesh of the fish is very white, fine grained, 

 and fat. Tlie fish in color and fatness resembles the bhick cod [Ano- 

 plopomafimhrla]. The bones are extremely soft, so much so that the fish 

 can not bear a weight of 5 pounds pulling on it without severing the 

 head. The fish was a female, with a large roe well matured. None of 

 the oldest Indians of the agency have ever seen anything like it." 



The fish was preserved in brine, and has now become so fragile that 

 it must be given to the osteologist to be prepared as a skeleton. Mr. 

 Lucas has found in front of the rayed portion of the dorsal fin numer- 

 ous groups of cartilaginous plates representing interneurals, but no 

 rays can be found supported by them. He counted seventy vertebrae 

 and observed what appear to be rudiments of a pelvis, but no traces of 

 ventral fins. 



U. S. National Museum, 



Washington, Januarys, 1888. 



