3. REGALKCUS. 307 



out caudal appendage), the length of the head one-sixth. The snout 

 is produced, subcylindrical ; the mouth small and toothless. The 

 maxillary bones are small, short, and hidden behind the intermaxil- 

 laries ; the mandibles are long, extending far behind the eye. Eyes 

 large, close together, directed forwards towards the snout. The sub- 

 orbital is veiy large, covering nearly the whole of the check, and 

 extending backwards behind the eye. Opercles small. Gill-openings 

 very wide ; gills four. The vent is situated before the middle of the 

 total length. The pectorals are pointed, directed vipwards, about half 

 as long as the head ; the dorsal extends from the head nearly to the 

 end of the tail. The caudal is directed upwards, and has its rays 

 connected by a rather fii-m membrane ; the tail terminates in a 

 naiTow band-like appendage aboiit twice as long as the body. The 

 colom* is uniform silvery. 



The suigle specimen known is in the collection of the College of 

 Surgeons ; it is eleven inches long, the appendage being twenty-two 

 inches. It was taken in the sea between Cuba and Martinique. 



3. REGALECUS. 



Regalecus, Briimi. Nya Saml. iii. p. 414. 

 Gymnetrus, £1. Schn. p. 481 ; Ciiv. ^ Val. x. p. 352. 



Each ventral fin reduced to a long filament, dilated at the ex- 

 tremity ; caudal fin rudimentary or absent. 



Seas of Europe ; Atlantic; Vizagapatam ; K^ew Zealand*. 



* Oiir knowledge of the occurrence of tliis genus in the seas of New Zealand 

 rests on the following notice, which appeared in a New Zealand newspaper. The 

 parts of the specimen captured, which were preserved, have been transmitted to 

 the British Museum, hut have not yet arrived : — 



'• Nelson, October 26, 1860. 



" The following few notes relative to the singular fish which on Wednesday 

 last ran ashore near the entrance of the harbour may not be uninteresting ; 

 they are compiled partly from information given to me by persons who saw the 

 fish, and partly from my own observation of such of the remains as I was able to 

 see. The head \^as very small, not more than ten inches in length, resembling 

 in shape that of the Mohiki. From the lower lip depended a large number of 

 rigid slender barbules, about sixteen inches long and of a brilliant red coloiu*. The 

 eye was as large as that of a bullock, 2}rotrudiug considerably, and very bright. Tlie 

 jaws appeared to be entirely destitute of teeth. Unfortunately the head had been 

 so much damaged (by being beaten with stones) before I saw any part of it, that 

 I am unable to give any more detailed description of it. The body, from the 

 head to the extremity of the tail, measured fifteen feet ten inches ; at the back of 

 the head it was about ten inches deep, which graduaOy increased to fom-teen 

 inches three feet further on. It retained the same depth for about ten feet, and 

 then tapered gradually to the extremity of the tail, which was pointed, and, as 

 my informant stated, destitute of fin. The whole body of tlie fish was extremelj' 

 flat, varying from two to fom- inches in its whole length, attaining its greatest 

 thickness (four inches) about the middle of its length, along the course of the 

 spine. 



" From behind the head ran along unbroken dorsal fin, two inches wide there, 

 gradually increasing in width to four inches in the middle of the fish, and then 

 tapering to one inch near the extremity of the tail, where it terminated. This fin 

 was supported, at intervals of about three-quarters of an incli, bv slender spinous 



■ x2 



