1. ACIPENSER. 341 



barbels short, simple. Osseous sbields small and distant from one 

 another, deeply sculptured and coarsely radiated, lU-12 on the back, 

 2y-ii2 on the sides, and about 8 along the abdomen. Skin with 

 numerous scattered, irregular, stellate ossifications and smaller 

 prickles. The greater part of the anal below the dorsal. D. 135. 



Rivers of the llussian Empire. Danube. 

 a. Stuffed, 6 feet long, llussia. Purchased of Mr. Warwick. 



Acipenser hechelii, Fitz. & Heck. Ann. Wien. Mus. i. p. 303, 

 taf. 2G. fig. 4, and taf. 29. figs. 11 & 12 (or Heckel, Sitzgsber. Ak. Wiss. 

 Wien, 1851, vii. p. 560, taf. 24. fig. 3; or Heck. & Kner, iSiisswas- 

 serf. p. 357), from the Adriatic, does not appear to be a distinct 

 species. It has been distinguished from A. {jiddenstadtn on account 

 of its somewhat shorter and more rounded snout ; the shields are 

 less coarsely sculptured ; and the stellate ossifications are of a more 

 uniformly small size. Golowatschof also believes it to be identical 

 with A. giildenstadtii (BuU. Soc. Nat. Mosc. 1857, ii. p. 542). 



14. Acipenser liopeltis. 



Snout rather short and pointed, its length being contained twice 

 and two-thirds in that of the head ; it is covered above and on the 

 sides with numerous small, dense scutes. Barbels long, simple, 

 nearer to the end of the snout than to the eye. Osseous shields of 

 moderate size, distant, finely sculptured, rather smooth ; 12 on the 

 back, 33 on the side, and 9 along the abdomen, the latter being very 

 narrow. Skin with numerous minute prickles and larger stellate 

 ossifications. A curved series of small scutes crosses the cheek ver- 

 tically. The greater part of the anal below the dorsal. Dorsal fin 

 as high as long, with 36 rays. The first upper caudal fulcrum 

 small. Dark brown. 



Mississippi. 



a. Stuffed, 44 inches long. 



15. Acipenser brevirostris. 



Acipenser brevirostrum, Limeur, Trans. A?n. Phil. Soc. i. p. 890; 

 IJrandt ^- liidzvburg, Med. Zool. ii. p. 13, taf. 1. fig. 2; Fitz. iSf 

 Heck. Ann. Wien. Mus. i. p. 313 ; Dekay, Neiv York Faun. Fish. 

 p. 345. 



obtusirostris, Lovetzky, Nouv. Mem. Soc. Nat. Mosc. iii. p. 257. 



Snout very short and obtuse, about one-fourth of the length of 

 the head : barbels short, simple. Osseous shields rather small and 

 distant from 07ie another, finely radiated and granulated ; 8-10 on 

 the back, 22-28 on the sides, 6-8 along the abdomen. Skin very 

 8i)aringly covered with minute i)ricldes and very small scattered 

 stellate ossifications. The greater part of the anal below the dorsal. 

 D. 30. 



Atlantic coasts of the United States. 

 a. Stuffed, 31 inches long. Tresented by K. Doubledaj", Esq. 



