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almost every one, a fish, three or four inches in length, half 

 destroyed by the process of digestion, the general physiognomy 

 of which pretty much resembled that of a young Ling, espe- 

 cially if the head and fins are not carefully examined. The fins 

 are generally first destroyed, so that the real affinities of the fish 

 do not strike the superficial observer. 



Having paid some attention to those remains, judiciously pre- 

 served by Prof. Baird, I have satisfied myself that they belong 

 to a genus of Cottoid hitherto unknown, and I have succeeded 

 in reconstructing the whole fish. 



The shape of the head and body resembles that of Triglidse. 

 The structure of the mouth and fins reminds us of Cottus proper. 

 The opercular apparatus is constructed somewhat as in Acantho- 

 cottus. It differs from Triglidse by its smooth body and the 

 want of the scales, and bony plates covering the head in the 

 latter, and by its first dorsal being lower than the second ; — 

 from Acanthocottus, by the shape of the mouth, and also by the 

 first dorsal, which in Acanthocottus is higher than, or at least of 

 the same height as the second. The spines of the preopercu- 

 him, uniform among themselves, differ from those of the latter, 

 the uppermost of which are larger than the lower ones ; — 

 from Cottus proper it differs by the number of spines on the 

 preoperculum, and the elongation of the head ; — from Cottopsis 

 by the absence of teeth on the palatine bones. The structure of 

 the head reminds us of that of Sciaenoids by the holes in its bonesa 

 It is a real approximation to the last group which it seems to 

 ally more intimately to Cottoids. 



I propose to call the genus Triglopsis, and designate the 

 species by the name of our esteemed naturalist, Rev. Z. Thomp- 

 son, of Burlington. 



Triglopsis Thompsonii will be characterized and illustrated 

 in my Monograph of North American Cottoids. I hope the time 

 will come when perfect specimens of that fish will be seen in 

 our Collections. In order to ascertain its geographic distribu- 

 tion it will be necessary to open and examine the contents of the 

 stomach of Lota maculosa, living in the northern and western 

 waters ; and the locality once known, attempt to discover the 

 peculiar bottoms frequented by those fishes in order to catch it 

 fresh and living. 



