7. MYEIPRISTIS. 23 



arc thrcc-foiirths as long as the maxillary, and have a slight pro- 

 niiucncc behind. The mandibidarics are rather short and high; 

 each is distinguished by a small protuberance in front. 



The dentition is chiefly formed by broad bands of fine villifonn 

 teeth; at several places are small, short, granular prominences, 

 similar to those of the angle of maxillary, and more Uke apophyses 

 than true teeth. Such granulations may be seen strongest in front 

 of both the jaws, on the protuberances of the bones, but moreover 

 also on the outer edges of intermaxillary and mandibidaiy. The 

 band of the upper jaw is nearly twice as broad as that of the dentary 

 bone ; both reach to the extremities of their bones. All the other 

 teeth are exceedingly fine and velvet-like ; those of the vomer form 

 a triangidar patch wdth concave sides, those of the palatines a cunei- 

 form band, broad anteriorly, and do not extend beyond that bone. 

 The teeth of the phaiyngo-branchials are placed in an ovate group 

 ■Hath several smaller ones besides. 



The hifraorhital arch is rather narrow and nearly equally broad, 

 the praeorbital not being widened on account of the shortness of the 

 snout. It is transformed into a bony half-channel, the openside of 

 which is covered by a thin membrane, and the edges of which are 

 finely serrated. The arch has inside a narrow, concave, and thin 

 plate for supporting the eye-ball from beneath. The entopterygoid 

 is very broad, and attached to the basisphenoid by a narrow ligament 

 only, so that the bottom of the orbit is nearly entirely bony. 



All the opcrdcs are distinctly striated as far as they are not covered 

 by scales. The opercidum is more than twice as high as wide ; on 

 its upper third it has a flat ridge terminating in a distinct point, 

 above and below which is a slight notch ; the serratare is fine, but 

 distinct. The subopcrcidum is narrow, with a shallow notch before 

 the pectoral fin, and thi-ee or four very slight denticulations beneath. 

 The intcroperculum is two and a half as long as high, distinctly, but 

 more finely serrated than the operculum, and has a convex lower 

 margin. The proeopercidum is distinguished by two nearly parallel 

 serrated edges ; the posterior pair is finely serrated, like the inter- 

 operoulum, the scrratm-e of the supplementary ridge being rather 

 indistinct ; the inferior pair has both the edges equally and finely 

 serrated. Both the pairs meet at a rather obtuse angle, and here the 

 serratiu-e is somewhat stronger and more like that of the opercidum. 



The skidl of Myripristis shows the remarkable peculiarity of a 

 large oval opening, closed by an elastic membrane — an internal tym- 

 panum. The opening appears to belong to the ahsphenoid bone ; 

 at the bottom of the cavity is placed a large otohth. The membra- 

 naceous cover is in immediate connexion with the lobe of the anterior 

 part of the air-bladder, and attached to it is an elastic, bony, ex- 

 cavated plate, in form similar to the tragus of the common Bat, and 

 arising from the lower posterior angle of the opening. A similar 

 form of connexion between the air-bladder and the vestibidum is 

 found in Hohcentrum, Priacanthiis macrophtliahnus, Sparus, Sargits, 

 SaJpa, &c. 



The humeral iivch. is likewise striated and serrated, but more so at 



