NO. mo. ON THE LAMPRIDID.E OR OPAHS—GILL. 923 



that the disposition of the articulating facets of the pterygials allows 

 of a nmcli greater downward than upward movement of the rays 

 of the pectoral, by which the fin can be pressed down close against 

 the sides of the body, and precludes the opposite vertical position— a 

 fact which I have been able to verify on a specimen in the flesh. This 

 mode of articulation seems so contrary to our ideas tliat most ligun^s 

 and stuffed specimens represent the pectoral fin directed upwai-d. :is in 

 Brarna^ to which the Opah w^as believed to be r(dated.'' 



It is noteworthy that representatives of the genus Pcniphrrls are 

 also able to deflect their pectorals against tlie sidi^s of the l)ody l)nt 

 they are not limited to tliat movement and can fold the flns backwaid. 



VIII. 



The Opah appears to be not rare in certan^ regions, and the paucity 

 in collections is probably due to the want of sufficient motive to hniit 

 for them rather than absolute rarity or difficulty in ()V)taining tliem. 

 In the Twentieth Annual Report of the Fishery Board of Scotland 

 (1902), kindly sent to me recently, there is an interesting record (p. 

 541) of individuals ''landed at Aberdeen market during 18i>l," with a 

 "note of the place where they were stated to have been caught." \n 

 June, "three specimens;" in Juh', ten; in August, one, and in Sep- 

 tember two were received. All "were taken by line-' and the one 

 was caught at a depth of 125 fathoms. 



The only previous notice of the capture of the Opah ofl' the coast of 

 Aberdeenshire I am acquainted with is one published in the Zoologist 

 for 1896. It appears from an anonymous note in that magazine for 

 August^' on The Opah or Kingflsh off Aberdeen that "there was 

 lately on view at Messrs. J. and T. Sawers's fish market, Belfast, a tine 

 specimen of the Opah or Kingtish caught ofl' the coast of Aberdeen- 

 shire. It weighed 70 pounds, was about 1 feet long, and measured 

 2|^ feet at the broadest part." 



IX. 



The etymology of the curious name Opah is stated to be ludviiown 

 by the various English dictionaries, as the Century Dictionary ("Opah 

 (o'pii) n. [Origin unknown]"). 



Further research would have revealed it. The first appearance of 

 the name with explanation is in 1750, in the Fhilosophii-al Transac- 

 tions (vol. 16). Therein is published "The Defcription of a Fifh f hewed 

 to the Royal Society by Mr. Ralph Bigland, on March 22, 17-19-50: 

 Drawn u))"by C. Mortimer, M. D., Secret. R. S." (pp. 518-520.) This 

 seemed to the author "to be a new Species of Fifh not yet defcribed 

 by any author." It was a Lcmipris, and immediat ely after the dec- 



"3. S., XX, p. 306. 



