<4 BOOK OF THE BLACK BASS. 



cperculum and interopcrculum ( (1) none or (2) few on the pre 

 operculum); operculum ending in a flattened point (spine) and 

 Avith the border above it emarginated; subojxjrculum with a 

 pointed membrane extending beyond (behind and above) the 

 opercular spine ; jireo^^erculum entire. Eyes moderate, about 

 equidistant from the snout and preaperculum ; iioti'ils nornuil ; 

 anterior with a posterior lid ; posterior patulous. 



"Mouth, with the cleft moderately oblique, large (the supra- 

 maxillary (1) nearly to or (2) beyond the vertical of the pos- 

 terior border of the eye). Supramaxillary with the accessory 

 ossicle well develo2)ed. Lips: upper, little developed; lower, 

 moderate on the sides, but separated by a very wide isthmus. 



" Tongue moderate and free. 



"Teeth on the jaws in a broad band, acute, curved back- 

 wards, and increasing in size towards inner rows ; on the vomer, 

 palatines and pterygoids, villiform. 



" Branchiostegal rays six (exceptionally seven) on each side. 



"Dorsal with its origin behind the axil of the ventral ; {1) 

 its spinous portion longer but much lower than the soft portion, 

 with ten spines more or less graduated before as well as behind, 

 and the ninth much shorter than the tenth ; (2) the soft portion 

 well developed. 



"Anal with its base shorter than the soft portion of the 

 dorsal, nearly coterminal with it, with three spines, of which the 

 third is much the longest. 



" Caudal emarginated and with obtuse lobes. 



" Pectorals and ventrals normal. 



" This enumeration of the characters common to the known 

 forms of the genus has been drawn up with a view to exhibit 

 the features differentiating the genus from the other representa- 

 tives of the family Pomotidie. The difference indicated by the 

 general expression is coordinated with the greater distance of 

 the eye from the preoperculum, the armature of the operculum, 

 'he peculiar form of the dorsal and the relatively small .si/e of 



