so CIRRHITID^. 



depth of the body is beneath the sixth dorsal spine, and is contained 

 41 in the total length. The length of the head is 4| in the total ; 

 the interspace between the eyes is one-fifth of the length of the 

 head. The snont is produced, the eye being somcAvhat more remote 

 from the extremity of the snout than of the opercidum ; the cleft 

 of the mouth is rather small, and the upper maxillary does not 

 reach to the vertical from the anterior margin of the orbit. The eye 

 is of moderate size, one-sixth of the length of the head. The cheek, 

 the opercles, and the interspace between the eyes are densely covered 

 with small scales. The praeoperculum has the posterior margin ver- 

 tical and the angle rounded ; the suboperculum overreaches the oper- 

 culum posteriorly. 



The dorsal fin begins vertically above the suprascapula and ends 

 at a short distance from the caudal, in the vertical from the 44th scale 

 of the lateral hne. The length of the base of the spinous portion is 

 rather shorter than that of the soft ; the upper margin of the former 

 is slightly convex, that of the latter straight and somewhat oblique. 

 The spines are moderately strong : the first is one-half the length of 

 the second ; the following gradually become longer to the fifth, which 

 is one-third of the length of the head ; and the posterior ones decrease 

 in length to the last, which is about half as long as the fii-st rays ; 

 these are the longest, and equal to the fifth dorsal spine. There is a 

 low scaly sheath along all the length of the fin. The caudal is deeply 

 forked, one of the middle rays being one-third only of the upper lobe ; 

 both lobes are pointed. The anal fin is short, and begins in the ver- 

 tical from the sixth dorsal ray : the fii'st spine is one-third the length 

 of the second ; the second is moderately stout, and shorter than the 

 third ; the tliird is one-third of the first and second rays, which are 

 the longest, and one-half the length of the head ; the other rays 

 diminish in length. The pectoral is composed of eight branched rays 

 and six simple ones, the second of which is the longest, and much 

 exceeding the others in length. I cannot state the exact leng-th of 

 this ray, as it is diied and shrunk, but I suppose that it reaches 

 nearly to the vent. The next ray also is very elongate, one-fourth of 

 its entire length projecting beyond the membrane ; the other rays 

 are gradually shorter. The base of the ventrals is very remote from 

 that of the pectoral, and falls in the vertical from the tenth dorsal 

 spine ; the length of the fin is about one-ninth of the total, and the 

 spine is two-thirds of the length of the fin. 

 The scales are of moderate size, cycloid. 

 The teeth form vilhform bands in both jaAvs. 



inches, lines. 



Total length 27 



Height of the body 6 6 



Length of the head 6 1 



Diameter of the eye 1 



Distance between the eyes 1 3 



Length of the fifth dorsal spine 2 



of the second anal ray 3 3 



of the ventral 2 



