14. sAiicrs. 443 



base of the pectoral, and extends to that from the fifty-sixth scale of 

 the lateral line, its distance from the caudal fin being equal to one- 

 half the length of the head. The spines are rather strong, compressed, 

 and broader on one side ; the fii'st is one-half the length of the second ; 

 the fourth and fifth are the longest, nearly one-half the length of the 

 head ; the following gradually decrease in length to the last, which is 

 1| in the length of the foiu-th. The soft rays are nearly equal in 

 length to one another and to the last spine. The caudal fin is forked, 

 one of the middle rays being nearly one-third of the upper lobe, Avhich 

 is rather longer than the lower. The origin of the anal fin faUs 

 vertically below that of the soft dorsal, and its end immediately 

 behind that of the dorsal ; it is scarcely lower than the opposite fin, 

 but the posterior rays gradually become somewhat shorter. The spines 

 are rather stout ; the fu'st is nearly one-half the length of the second ; 

 the second rather longer and stronger than the third, and about one- 

 third of the length of the head. The pectoral fin has a few very 

 small scales at the base ; the sixth ray exceeds the others in length, 

 reaching to the second anal ray. The base of the ventrals falls 

 entirely behind that of the pectorals ; they are of moderate length, 

 the first ray extending to the vent ; the spine is about three-quarters 

 of the length of that ray. There is a long scaly flap inserted at the 

 base of the ventral. 



The scales are minutely ciHated at the outer margin, higher than 

 wide ; one of the largest covers one-third of the eye. 



The incisors are moderately broad, very little narrower than in 

 S. rondeletii ; they are implanted in an oblique direction ; there 

 are six or eight in the upper jaw, and eight or ten in the lower. The 

 molars are rather small, arranged iii three series in the upper jaw, 

 and in two in the lower ; there is sometimes another molar at the 

 inner side of the series of teeth in the lower jaw. 



The examples are now imiform sUvery, with a shining streak along 

 each series of scales ; the opercular margin, the dorsal, anal, and 

 ventral fins are greyish. The black dorsal blotch on the lateral line, 

 behind the dorsal, has disappeared. 



inches, lines. 



Total length 9 6 



Height of the body 3 4 



Length of the head 2 



Distance between the eyes 8 



between the dorsal and the occiput 1 11 



between the occiput and the snout 1 4,| 



Diameter of the eye 6 



Length of the fourth dorsal spine 11 



of the twelfth dorsal spine 7 



of the upper caudal lobe 2 6 



of the second anal spine 8| 



of the pectoral 2 9 



of the ventral 1 7 



of a scale 2^ 



Height of a scale 3| 



