476 OPUIOCEPHALIBJE. 



height of the body is one-sixth or one-seventh of the total length, 

 the length of the head two-sevenths. The upper profile of the 

 snout concave ; head with large scales superiorly. The cleft of the 

 mouth extends to below the ej*e. Brownish above, dotted with 

 black ; ligliter inferiorly, with about twelve black transverse bands ; 

 an interrupted blackish longitudinal band from the operculum to the 

 caudal fin. Two obliqiie black streaks on the side of the head. 

 Vertical fins bro'OTiish, with black spots ; pectorals variegated with 

 black. 



East Indian .ii'chipelago. 



14. OpMocepbalus siamensis. 



D. 42. A. 27. L. lat. 65. L. trausv. 5/11. 



Large teeth in the lower jaw, on the vomer and the palatine bones. 

 The height of the body is contained six times and four-fifths in the 

 total length, the length of the head three times and two-fifths, the 

 length of the caudal six times. The A^idth of the intcrorbital space 

 is more than the extent of the snout, and two-ninths of the length 

 of the head. Cleft of the mouth wide, the maxillary not extending 

 to the vertical from the posterior margin of the eye (in old speci- 

 mens it probably reaches to below that margin). There are eleven 

 series of scales between the eye and the angle of the prajoperciilum ; 

 scales on the upper surface of the head of moderate size. The pec- 

 toral extends to the origin of the anal fin, and its length is less thaji 

 one-half of that of the head ; the ventral is not much shorter than 

 the pectoral. Greenish-olive, with darker streaks along the series of 

 scales ; a light longitudinal band from the eye to the middle of the 

 caudal fin ; two series of alternate darker blotches, one above the 

 light band, the other below ; side of the head with three oblique 

 brown bands ; dorsal and anal fins with oblique blackish stripes ; 

 caudal with blackish spots ; the lower side of the head blackish, with 

 white spots. 



Siam. 



a. Fine specimen : young, forty-four lines long. Siam. From M. 

 Mouhot's Collection. 



15. Ophiocephalus obscurus. 



D. 42. A. 26. L. lat. 70. L. transv. 7/14. 



Several large teeth in the lower jaw ; those on the vomer and the 

 palatine bones cardiform, in narrow bands. The maxillaiy extends 

 behind the orbit. Blackish ; a series of large round black blotches 

 along the side. 



Huh. ? 



a-b. Presented by C. Swanzz, Esq. 



Description. — The height of the body is nearly one-eighth of the 

 total length, the length of the head nearly one-fom-th ; the width of 



