170 BATRACHID.'E. 



total ; the width of the bony bridge between the orbits is one-seventh 

 of the length of the head, and equals the diameter of tlie eye, which 

 is shorter than the snout. Gili-covcrs ■with three spines dii-ected 

 backwards, two belonging to the operculum and one to the suboper- 

 culuni. "N'omer and palatine bones with a single series of short 

 conical teeth. Snout broad, depressed, flat, surrounded by a wreath 

 of short tentacles ; tentacles above the orbit very distinct. The 

 maxillary extends to below the posterior margin of the orbit. A 

 round foramen in the upper part of the axil. Brown, marbled with 

 darker ; some small, round, deep-black spots on the side of the 

 body ; dorsal with obHque brown bands, pectoral ^vith many roimd 

 white spots. 

 Australia. 



a. b. Adult. From the Haslar Collection. 



6. Batrachus diemensis. 



Batraclioides diemensis, Lcsucur,Journ. Acad.Nut. 8c. P/u/ud. iii. 1823, 



p. 402. 

 Batrachus quadi'ispinis, Qw. ^ Vul. xii. p. 487. 

 diemensis, Richards. Ann. Nat. Hist. x. p. 352, and Voi/. Erch. S,- 



Terr. Fishes, p. 17. pi. 8. figs. 1, 2 ; Bleek. Timor, p. 168! 



D. 3 I 20. A. 15-17. V. 1/2. 



The length of the head is contained three times and three-foui'ths 

 in the total ; the bony bridge between the orbits is narrow, its width 

 being one-eighth of the length of the head, and much less than that 

 of the orbit, which equals the length of the snout. Gill-covers with 

 four spines, two of which belong to the operculum and two to the 

 suboperculum ; one of the latter, however, becomes nearly obsolete 

 with age, and is always very small. Jaws, vomer, and palatine bones 

 with a band of villiform teeth. Snout short, obtuse, with its upper 

 ])rofile parabolic ; it is surrounded by a wreath of tentacles ; those 

 above the orbits Avell developed, ciliated. The maxUlary extends to 

 below the middle of the orbit. No foramen in the axil. The outer 

 \c'ntral ray is much longer than the inuer one, tapering, nearly as 

 king as the head. Brown, marbled with darker. 



Coasts of Australia, Timor, Coram, and Banka. 



((. Adult. Australia. From Mr. Macgillivray's Collection. 



b. Half-grown. Australia. Presented by Sir J. llichardson. 



c. Adult : skin. Port Essington. 



** Scaly species. 



7. Batrachus didactylus. 



? Sea-toad, BarhoU Coll. Votj. v. p. 223. pi. 18. 



(Jadus tau, Bl. Fische Deutschl. ii. p. 170. pi. 67. figs. 2 & 3. 



Batrachus didactylus, Bl. Sch». p. 42. 



tau, Bl. Schii. p. 44. 



borcalis, Niks. Prodr. p. 09, and Skand. Faun. iv. p. 254. 



