NO. 21. ">3. FISHES TAKEN BY "ALBATROSS," 18SS— THOMPSON. 423 



4i in head (3 to 3 J in //. zehra); maxillary longer, extending to below 

 posterior third of eye, 2\ in head; pectorals and vontrals very short, 

 2J in head, and vertical fins low. The head is long and conical, with 

 a sharper snout, the depth at the occiput equal to its Vvddth and less 

 than the postorbital length of head (greater in //. zehra). The teeth 

 are longer and more prominent. HaplocTiiton zehra has the physiog- 

 nomy of a trout (Salmo), while H. taeniatus has much the trim look of 

 a slender Atherinoid or Scombroid fish, which may argue a difi'erence 

 in habit. The silvery stripe mentioned by Jenyns is very evident, 

 but there is little else which conclusively proves our adult to be the 

 same as his very young form save the lesser depth. The fin counts 

 are the same. 



11. SYNGNATHUS BLAINVILLIANUS Eydoux and Gervais. 



A single well-preserved example from Mayne Harbor, and another 

 in bad condition from Port Otway, Patagonia. 



Body rings 19; tail 50; dorsal rays 34; anal 3; caudal 10; pec- 

 toral 13; body with many very small dark rings surrounding minute 

 specks of brown lighter than body color, these not on dorsal or 

 ventral edge of body, not on head, tail, or fins. 



12. MENIDIA ALBURNUS (Giinther). 



Numerous specimens of tliis little-known form from the Straits of 

 Magellan, at Laredo Bay, Gregory Bay, and Sandy Point. 



Head, 4* (0.21) in length to base of caudal; depth, 5^ to 6| (0.15 

 to 0.18); eye, 5 in head (0.035 to 0.045 in body); snout, 3 in head; 

 interorbital space, 3^; length of pectoral, \\ in head; of ventral, 2h; 

 distance from snout to insertion of first dorsal less than half body 

 length without caudal; distance between dorsal insertions slightly 

 less than length of head; dorsal rays VII-I, 12 or 13; anal rays I, 

 16 or 17; scales in longitudinal series, 98 to 105; in transverse series 

 between dorsal insertions, 21 or 22; gill rakers, 4+ 15. 



Premaxillaries protractile, lower jaw very slightly shorter than 

 upper; no teeth on vomer or palatines; first dorsal inserted over 

 ventral base; second dorsal base terminating anteriorly to that of 

 anal; scales with four or five l)asal radii, pectinate on their free 

 edges; the circuli not angled at basal corners of scale; shape of scale 

 oval. Lateral band bright, covering four series of scales. 



In this species the most anterior two or three scales of the dorsal 

 surface of the head are imbricated in the reverse direction from the 

 usual one, and those on the posterior and central parts are imbri- 

 cated over those lying later alty to them, the transitional area or 

 '^ nucleus" lying directly between the eyes. 



13. PSEUD APHRITIS GOBIO (Giinther). 



Three specimens from Borja Bay and one from Otter Bay, the 

 longest 360 mm. in total length. They differ greatly from the 



