536 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



one-fourth to one-tiftli of its height, and about one-thirteenth of the 

 len.cth of the head. Its length is about one-eighth its height at the.vent. 



The scales are round, thin, tiexible, very small upon the head, not 

 wider than the diameter of one of the dorsal spines, but upon the anterior 

 half of the body they are about three times as large, decreasing in size 

 upon the posterior half, until upon the tail they are smaller than upon 

 the head. The number of scales in the lateral line is not far from 400, 

 but in the partially digested specimen before me it is impossible to make 

 an exact enumeration. The number between the lateral line and the 

 dorsal fin is about 20, between the lateral line and the anal tin about 30. 

 The head is covered in every part, even the lips, with small scales. 

 There are about 40 between the eye and the end of the opercular flap. 

 The scales are deeply imbedded, and in life are probably hidden beneath 

 a slimy epidermis. 



The length of the head is contained about seven and one-third times 

 in that of the body. Its bones are all tiexible, and their outlines are 

 invisible without dissection, the whole being covered with a leathery 

 skin protected by scales. The width of the interorbital space api^ears 

 to be (in the mutilated head) somewhat greater than the length of snout, 

 and about one-fourth the length of the head. The diameter of the orbit 

 apprars to be about one-half the width of the interorbital space. The 

 length of the postorbital portion of the head is nearly three times that 

 of the snout. The length of the mandibular bone slightly exceeds twice 

 the diameter of the eye; that of the upper jaw is considerably greater. 

 The teeth in the upper jaw are blunt, acicular, set side by side like the 

 teeth of a comb, about 32 on each side. In the lower jaw they are 

 shorter, slenderer, and in double rows. Yilliform teeth upon the pala- 

 tines. 



The dorsal fin begins at a distance from the snout not far from two 

 and three-fourth times the length of the head, and nearly over the one 

 hundred and tenth scale of the lateral line. It consists of ten low, widely 

 separated spines, unconnected by any membrane. The distance between 

 the first and tenth spine is nearly double the length of the head. 



The spines from the fourth to the ninth are about equidistant, while 

 the other interspaces are shorter. 



The distance from the snout to the anal fin is equal to about four 

 times the length of the head. The anterior spinous portion of the anal 

 resembles the dorsal and is devoid of connecting membrane. The mem- 

 brane is also absent from the posterior half of the fin, but may possibly 

 have been destroyed. The anal rays extend to the tip of the elongate 

 tail and number about 130, the number of spines being 19. The anal 

 begins immediately behind the vent, and its length of base is slightly 

 less than half that of the body — less by a length about equal to the dis- 

 tance from the angle of the mouth to the gill-opening. 



The pectoral fin is placed at a distance behind the gill-opening about 

 equal to the width of its own base. Its length is at least double this 



