90 PEHCID.!;. 



and very broad behind, not extending to the vertical from the centre 

 of the eye ; the prseorbital narrow, half as broad as the maxillary. 

 There is only one smaU opening of the nostril, situated above the 

 anterior margin of the eye. The crown rounded, convex. The 

 praeopcrculum exhibits a very fine serrature along the posterior 

 limb, and a rather obtuse angle with some coarse obsolete denticula- 

 tions, whicli extend on a part of the lower limb. The sub- and inter- 

 operculiun are entire. The operculum is provided with thi-ee flat, 

 short points, the upper of which is hidden by the scales, the middle 

 broadest and largest, and the lower minute, but conspicuous and 

 immediately beneath the former. 



The dorsalis commences just above the posterior margin of the 

 operculum ; the spinous portion is much lower than the soft, but as 

 long ; the spines are rather slender, and become gradually longer 

 from the first to the last ; the fii'st is not one-half of the diameter 

 of the eye, the last more than twice as long. The membrane be- 

 tween is deeply notched, and emits behind the tip of each spine a 

 filiform appendage, about half the length of the spine. The anterior 

 part of the spinous portion can be nearly hidden in a scaly sheath. 

 The soft portion is rather elevated, with rounded upper margin and 

 roimded posteiior angle ; the middle I'ays are rather longer than the 

 others, the ninth being nearly twice as long as the last spine. The 

 caudal is is deeply forked, and each lobe very much elongate and 

 pointed ; the longest ray is about half the total length (without 

 caudal) ; smaller deciduous scales cover a great part of each lobe. 

 The analls is even more elevated than the dorsal, without a pro- 

 minent single ray, and with roimded lower margin. The spines are 

 not very strong, the second rather stronger but shorter than the 

 thii'd, which exceeds in length the last dorsal spine. The jiectoralis 

 elongate, reaching to the soft portion of the anal, and composed 

 of eighteen rays, the middle of which are longest, the others be- 

 coming gradually shorter towards the outer margins of the fin. In 

 the ventmlis the fu'st and second rays are exceedingly elongate, 

 fihform, and reach nearly to the root of the caudal fin ; the three others 

 are very much shorter ; the supporting spine is li longer than even 

 the thii'd of the analis. 



The scales are rather large, nearly twice as high as long, and one 

 of the largest covers about one-fifth of the eye. The lateral line is 

 strongly arched behind the head, nins near the base of the dorsal 

 fin, and is again bent downwards below the posterior end of that fin, 

 forming a straight line from thence along the middle of the tail. 



There are several teeth deserving the denomination of canines : 

 first, in front of each jaw a pair of rather feeble canines at the ordi- 

 nary place ; secondly, in the upper jaw at the posterior part of the 

 villiform band, behind the front canines, two or three pairs of 

 stronger teeth, nearly as strong as the former ; thirdly, on the side 

 of the mandibula one strong ciu'ved tooth. The vomerine teeth form 

 a triangular group (not an angular series). In the middle of the 

 tongue there is an oval patch of villiform teeth. 



Tlie specimen is rather discoloured ; but there is every probability 



