66 SaUAMIPINNES. 



torals and reach to the vent ; their spine is not quite one-half the 

 length of the head. 



The sccdes are small, ctenoid. 



The teeth of the jaws form a villiform band, with an outer series 

 of stronger ones, which are very slightly flattened. There is a small 

 patch of teeth on the head of the vomer. 



The ground-colour is now a greyish-yellow, and appears to have 

 been red in life. The back and the sides are banded with brown : 

 an indistinct, very narrow line along the base of the dorsal. The 

 fii-st lateral band proceeds from the occiput, where it is united with its 

 fellow, to, and along, the base of the soft dorsal ; the second from the 

 forehead, where it joins that of the other side, to the end of the dorsal 

 and the back of the taU ; the thii'd from above the eye to the middle 

 of the root of the caudal ; the fourth (paler than the others) from 

 the eye to the lower side of the root of the caudal ; the fifth (the 

 least distinct) from below the eye, above the pectoral, to the end 

 of the anal. There is sometimes a sixth near the belly. The spi- 

 nous dorsal is blackish ; the caudal, pectoral, and ventral fins axe 

 greyish. 



inches, lines. 



Total length 5 11 



Height of the body 2 



Length of the head 1 4 



of the fifth dorsal spine 8| 



of the eleventh dorsal spine .... 5 



of the caudal 1 3 



of the second anal spine G| 



of the pectoral 1 



of the ventral spine 7 



of the largest specimen 8 



The stomach is very spacious, with thin membranes ; the intestinal 

 tractus is 1 1 as long as the fish ; the testicles are separated from 

 each other. The aii'-bladder is large, prolonged into two horns pos- 

 teriorly, extending on both sides of the haemal spines, and into two 

 short processes anteriorly. Pseudobranchiae well developed. Four 

 gills, with a foramen behind the posterior. 



Feeds on sea-weed and animal substances. 



Third Group. TOXOTINA. 



12. TOXOTES. 



Toxotes, Cuv. Regne Anini. ; Cuv. Sf Val. vii. p. 310. 



Body compressed, oblong ; snout rather produced, with the lower 

 jaw longest ; eye of moderate size. One dorsal with five spines, situ- 

 ated on the posterior part of the back ; the soft portion and the anal 

 scaly, the latter with three spines. Villiform teeth in the jaws, on 



