794 SCIENTIFIC RECORD FOR 1885. 



lefos, in the Drams River, at Haugsend, where two great masts have 

 been placed across the river for the study of the habits of the salmon, so 

 that exact measurements may be effected. The height of the water in 

 the river of course varies, but it is, as a rule, when the salmon is run- 

 ning up stream, 16 feet below these masts. The distance between the 

 two is 3i feet, and the professor states that he has seen salmon jump 

 from the river below across both masts." As another example of high 

 jumping, he refers to the Carritunk waterfall, in the Kenebec Eiver 

 (Maine), "where jumps of 12 feet have been recorded. Professor Land- 

 mark further states that when a salmon jumps a fall nearly perpen- 

 dicular in shape it is sometimes able to remain in the fall, even if 

 the jump is a foot or two short of the actual height. This, he main- 

 tains, has been proved by an overwhelming quantity of evidence. The 

 fish may then be seen to stand for a minute or two a foot or so below 

 the edge of the fall in the same spot, in a trembling motion, when, with 

 a smart twitch of the tail, the rest of the fall is cleared. But only fish 

 which strike the fall straight with the snout are able to remain in the 

 falling mass of water; if.it is struck obliquely, the fish is carried back 

 into the stream below. This Professor Landmark believes to be the 

 explanation of salmon passing falls with a clear descent of 16 feet." 

 He thinks that this is the extreme jumj) the salmon is capable of, and 

 indicates that of course not all are capable of performing such a feat. 

 {Nature, v. 32, pp. 329, 330.) 



A peculiar Mullet. A remarlahle type of lower jaw. — A new generic 

 type of mullet, the family Mugilidse, has been described by Mr. W. 

 Macleay, which is noteworthy on account of the anomalous mode of 

 articulation of the lower jaw, and concomitant modifications of the 

 neighboring parts. The new type was found very abundantly in the 

 Goldie Eiver of New Guinea, " about 100 miles, by its course, from its 

 mouth," and was found to be " excellent " as a food-fish. The aspect 

 of the entire fish was not unlike that of other members of its family, 

 but in the inferior surface of the head differences from all others were 

 well marked. As Mr. Macleay remarks, " in most teleosteous fishes, at 

 all events in this ftimily, the gill openings are large, and what may be 

 termed the gill covers extend quite to the symphysis of the lower jaw, 

 leaving a more or less open space on the chin composed of the integu- 

 ments surrounding the extremity of the hyoid arch, and forming tlie 

 floor of the mouth." In the new form a transverse fissure or groove 

 appears behind the lower jaw, and when the integuments are removed 

 some remarkable peculiarities are unveiled. "The chief and most ob- 

 vious peculiarity'" is "undoubtedly the well-marked division across the 

 uiader surface of the head, from the extremity of the ramus of the man- 

 dible on one side to that of the other, a division however which though 

 deep and well defined, is only external and has no communication with 



