640 CONTRIBUTIONS TO NORTH AMERICAN ICHTHYOLOGY IV. 



horizontal, very small. Scales becoming larger posteriorly. Caudal 

 arrow-shaped, about one-fourtb length of rest of body; pectoral as long 

 as ventral, half as long as head. Head 5f (7 in total with caudal); 

 depthOf (12 with caudal). D. VI, 21; A. I, 20. L. 9 J inches. "Cali- 

 fornia." {Gllntlier.) 

 {Amhlyopus (Tyntlastes) sagitta Giiutlier, Proc. Zoiil. Soc. Loud. 186'2, 193.) 



Family CV.— CHIRID^E.* 



{The CMroids.) 



Cottoid fishes, with the body elongate, covered with small scales, 



which are either ctenoid or cycloid; head more or less conical, scaly, 



without armature above; preopercle sometimes armed; top of head 



without spinous ridges, but usually with dermal flaps; a bony stay 



across the cheeks from the suborbital. Mouth large or small, with 



teeth on jaws, and usually on vomer and palatines; teeth various. 



Gills 4, a considerable slit behind the fourth; gill-membranes free or 



variously attached. Branchiostegals C or 7. Pseudobranchise present. 



Dorsal fin elongate, continuous or divided, the anterior half or more 



composed of spines; anal fin elongate, with or without spines; ventrals 



I, 5; some or all of the soft rays branched. Pyloric coeca few or many. 



Lateral line present; sometimes several lateral lines. Carnivorous 



fishes of the North Pacific. Genera, 8 or 9 known; species about 15. 



(Trif/Udw, group ReterolepicUna Gliuther, ii, 5)0-95: genera Chlnis, Opliiodon, Afjram- 

 mus, and Zanlolcpis.) 



a. Lateral lines 4 or more on each side; anal spines obsolete; mouth moderate; jaws 

 with an outer series of stronger teeth, hut no canines. {Chlrinw.) 

 h. Gill-membranes broadly united, free from the isthmus; scales mostly ctenoid. 



HEXAGRAMJirS, 351. 



aa. Lateral line single on each side. 



d. Gill-niembranes free from the isthmus; j)reopercle armed. 



e. Anal spines obsolete; scales cycloid: mouth large, with strong canines. 



{OjyhiodontiiKv) Ophiodon, 352. 



ee. Anal spines 3, strong; scales ctenoid; mouth small, without canines. 



* The Chiridce, Scorpcenidw, Cottidw, Agovidw, Triglidco, Liparididw, and Cgclopieridce 

 from a closely-related series (Cataplu-adi), and are distinguished from all the other 

 Acanlhopteri by the presence of the suborbital stay. Different writers have widely 

 separated some of the members of this group from the others, but the relations of 

 each, especially of the Scorpa'iiida, Agonidw, and lAparididos, with the Cottidce are so 

 close that it is difScult to draw satisfactory boundary lines. 



