160 DISCOBOLI. 



tei'iorly, enveloped in an unctuous, thin, loose skin; its greatest 

 depth, on the middle of the abdomen, is about one-fifth of the total 

 length. The head is obtuse, with the nape of the neck slightly 

 swoUen ; its length is one-fourth of the total. The snout is broad, 

 not depressed, and of moderate longitudinal extent. The cleft of the 

 mouth is horizontal, not extending to the vcrti'cal from the anterior 

 margin of the eye, with rather thick lips and with the upper jaw 

 rather longer than the lower. Both jaws are armed with a band of 

 vULLform teeth, which become somewhat card-like in very large indi- 

 viduals. Tongue very broad, thick, obtuse. The eye is lateral, 

 but interfering with the upper profile of the head ; its diameter is 

 one-seventh of the length of the head, and one-half of the extent of 

 the snout and of the width of the interorbital space. The nostiil is 

 situated close before the eye. The gill- openings are reduced to a 

 vertical slit, which extends downwards on the upper part of the root 

 of the pectoral, the remainder of the gdl-membranes being united 

 with the base of the pectorals and with the isthmus. There are 

 thi-ee gills and a half, but I cannot detect the slightest trace of pseudo- 

 branchiae. 



The pectoral fins are very broad, extending downwards and for- 

 wards under the throat ; the twelve upper rays reach to the vertical 

 from the origin of the anal, the remainder gradually becoming 

 shorter as far as the last but six, which again are considerably pro- 

 duced. The six rays which constitute the base of the ventral disk 

 may be easily distinguished ; the disk is surrounded by about thir- 

 teen soft and flat papillae. The dorsal fin commences above, the 

 middle of the pectoral and is slightly connected with the caudal ; 

 it is highest on its middle, where the rays commence to be articu- 

 lated. The caudal is of moderate length and rounded ; its rays are 

 simple and articulated. The anal commences below the seventh 

 dorsal ray and is contiguous with the caudal. The vent is situated 

 in the middle between anal fin and ventral disk. 



The coloration of this species is subject to great variations. Some 

 specimens are pale yellowish-brown, mottled and spotted with dark 

 brown. Others are reddish-grey, with broad, irregular black spots ; 

 fins reddish, with black dots arranged in transverse bands. Others, 

 again, are brownish, with irregular darker longitudinal streaks on the 

 head and body. 



The specimen described and figured by Ekstrom appears to differ 

 in several respects. He gives the numbers of the fin-rays as — D. 32, 

 A. 32, C. 9. The nostril is said to be prolonged into two short tubes, 

 and to he situated midwaij between the eye and the xipper lij). NUsson 

 does not say anything about the nostril. Kroyer describes a variety 

 with blue longitudinal streaks on the head and body — D. 34, A. 31. 



The species attains to a size of more than 5 inches. 



The stomach is a large cavity, with the cardiac and pyloric openings 

 close together ; it was filled with shrimps. The form of the kidneys 

 is the same as in C)/cIopterus Jumpus : anteriorly separated by the 

 muscles of the vertebral coliunn, they are united in the middle of the 

 abdomen into a narrow cord, which again becomes thicker pos- 



