46. AGONUS. 213 



Snout very promiaent, vnth. the cleft of the mouth inferiorly. Angle 

 of mouth and the inferior part of the snout (before the cleft of the 

 mouth) M-ith many barbels ; two pairs of spines above the snout ; the 

 keels of the scaly plates prominent, and terminating in spines. The 

 space before the ventrals covered with many polygonal plates. Body 

 mth imdulated, brownish, transverse Unes or spots. 

 Kamtschatka ; west coast of N. America. 



a. Very fine specimen. New Orcades (Gulf of Georgia). Presented 

 by the Lords of the Admiralty. 



6. Adult : skeleton. New Orcades. Presented by the Lords of the 

 Admiralty. 



c. Adult. Vancouver Islands, Presented by the Lords of the Ad- 

 miralty. 



Pseudobranchife well developed ; three gUls and a half without an 

 opening behind the posterior one. The vent is situated before the 

 middle of the belly, immediately behind the base of the ventral fins. 

 The fish feeds on Crustacea. 



SJceleton. — The upper surface of the head is rather smooth ; there 

 is no occipital crest, but a sharp ridge proceeds from the orbit and 

 runs towards the suprascapula. The space between the orbits is 

 sUghtly concave, and its width equals the longitudinal diameter of 

 the orbit ; there is an acute spine projecting above the posterior 

 angle of the orbit. The prtefrontals are distinct, striated, and some- 

 what elongate, not armed. The turbinal bones are large and long, 

 in immediate contact with each other anteriorly and posteriorly, and 

 leaving a free space between them ; they form the projecting part of 

 the snout, where each of them is armed with a pair of sjjines ; an- 

 other single spine is placed on the posterior part of the bone, close to 

 the spine of the other side. The lateral part of the snout and the 

 cheek are cuirassed by three large and striated infraorbitals : the 

 anterior is elongate, triangular ; the second is isoscelous, its U2)per 

 point being situated below the anterior margin of the orbit; the 

 posterior is the largest, situated between the hmbs of the prseoper- 

 culum and the orbit, the inferior part of which is formed by it. 

 There is a small and narrow postorbital. Each of the thi-ee larger 

 bones is anned with a spine sitiiated in one Hne near the inferior 

 margin of the bones ; there is a series of muciferous cavities between 

 the spines and the inferior margin. 



The jaw-bones are situated at the lower side of the snout, which 

 projects considerably beyond the mouth. The intermaxillary is 

 short, widening posteriorly ; the maxUlary is longer, feeble, and 

 becomes a little broader behind ; the mandibula has the muciferous 

 channel well developed, and several cavities leading into it. The 

 limbs of the prteoperculum are of nearly equal length ; two horizon- 

 tal ridges cross its angle, and the upper one terminates in a spine : 

 the operculum is rather small, tiiangular, with an elevated ridge. 



There are twelve abdominal and twenty-seven caudal vertebrce ; 

 the haemal, neural, interhasmal and intemeiu'al spines are short and 

 feeble. 



