O. EXOCCETUS. 297 



and the lateral line. Pectoral uniform blackish, with the lower rays 

 whitish. Ventrals entirely white. 

 East-Indian archipelago. 



a. Type of the species, 8 inches long. From Dr. Bleeker's Collection. 



42. Exocoetus opisthopus. 



Bhek. Nederl. Tydschr. Dierk. iii. p. 121. 



D. 11. A. 9. L. lat. 48. 



The height of the body is one-sixth of the total length (without 

 caudal), the length of the head two-ninths. The depth of the head 

 equals the distance between the extremity of the snout and the hind 

 margin of the praeoperculum. Snout obtuse and very short, three- 

 fifths of the diameter of the eye, which is one-third of the length of 

 the head and equal to the width of the interorbital space, which is 

 quite flat. The pectoral fin does not extend to the end of the dorsal. 

 Ventral fins nearer to the root of the caudal than to the giU-open- 

 ing, extending beyond the end of the anal. The dorsal commences 

 far in advance of the anal, its anterior rays being half as long as the 

 head. There are thirty scales between the occiput and the origin of 

 the dorsal, and seven longitudinal series of scales between the origin 

 of the dorsal and the lateral line. Pectoral uniform blackish, with 

 the lower rays whitish. Ventral white, the middle rays grejish. 



East-Indian archipelago. 



a. Type of the species, 10 inches long. Celebes. From Dr. Bleeker's 



Collection. 

 h. Nine inches long. Amboyna. Purchased of Mr. Frank. 



43. Exoccetus brachycephalus. 

 D. 12. A. 13. L. lat. 50. 



The height of the body is two-thirteenths of the total length (with- 

 out caudal), the length of the head one-fifth. The depth of the head 

 is somewhat less than the distance between the extremity of the 

 snout and the hind margin of the praeoperculum. Snout obtuse and 

 short, three-fourths of the diameter of the eye, which is two-sevenths 

 of the length of the head and two-thirds of the width of the inter- 

 orbital space, which is somewhat concave. The pectoral fin extends 

 to the root of the caudal. Ventral fin midway between praeoperculum 

 and root of the caudal, extending to the end of the anal. The dorsal 

 commences above the origin of the anal, its anterior rays being more 

 than half as long as the head. There are twenty-nine scales between 

 the occiput and the origin of the dorsal, and six longitudinal series 

 of scales between the origin of the dorsal and the lateral line. Pec- 

 toral and ventral fins black. 



China. 

 a. Thirteen inches long. China, Presented by Sir J. Eichardson. 



