56 



QOBIID^ 



(in mature specimens). Dorsal fins close together, lower than the 

 body ; the distance of the first dorsal from the eye is more than that 

 of the snout from the pra^operculum : the upper pectoral rays silk- 

 hke : the ventral fin has the basal membrane well developed, and 

 provided with a lobe on each side ; it terminates at a great distance 

 from the vent. Streaks of minute warts are scarcely visible on the 

 side of the head. Brownish, marbled with darker ; a series of black 

 dots along the middle of the side; the first dorsal clouded with 

 blackish, the second, caudal and pectoral dotted with brown ; anal 

 and ventral immaculate. 



Mediterranean. (? Black Sea.) 



a. Adult. Bay of Naples. Presented by S. P. Pratt, Esq. 



b. Pine specimen. Mediterranean. Presented by Prof. Troschel. 



c. Half-grown. Mediterranean. 



d. e, f. Adult and half-grown. 

 g, h. Adult : skeletons. 



Skeleton. — The skull is rather short, as in Batrachus ; its crown 

 is flattened, slightly elevated along the median line, which termi- 

 nates in a short and low occipital crest. The lateral and anterior 

 margins of the crown (parietal and principal frontal bones) are pro- 

 vided with a double ridge, including a muciferous channel ; the 

 outer anterior angle of the crown is produced into a point which 

 projects into the orbit. The orbit is on the upper surface of the 

 head, incHning downwards to the side, and not closed by an infra- 

 orbital ring. The orbital portion of the frontal bone is very narrow. 

 The praefrontal is moderately developed, and has a rudimentary 

 prteorbital attached to it. The ethmoid forms a portion of the upper 

 surface of the skull : the intermaxillary is dilated into an oblong 

 lamella posteriorly ; the maxillary is styliform, curved and scarcely 

 dilated at its extremity. The dentary bone is strong, bent inwards 

 to meet its fellow, but not upwards, as in Gohius giuris ; the arti- 

 cular bone is dilated, not extending very far forwards ; the angular 

 bone is completely united with it, no sutiu-e betw^een them being 

 visible. Vomer hammer-hke ; palatine and pterygoid bones styli- 

 form. The tympanic bones are narrow, and large portions of the 

 tympanic groove are unossified : the hypotympanic is formed by 

 two portions — the upper broad one for the sutures with the ptery- 

 goids and with the prae- and meso-tympanic, the lower for the suture 

 with the prajoperculum. There is a wide frcM3 space between these 

 two portions, posteriorly closed by the mesotympanic and the prte- 

 operculum ; the mesotympanic is of about the same size as the prae- 

 tympanic. The glossohyal is extremely broad, triangular, the 

 point of the triangle being posterior ; the urohyal is irregularly 

 quadi-angular. The humeral arch is fixed to the skull by the supra- 

 scapula, which terminates superiorly in two long styliform processes, 

 the lower of which is exti^emely slender. There is a ti'ansverso 

 gi'oove formed by two ridges near the point where these two pro- 

 cesses meet ; it serves as the passage for the muciferous channels of 

 llie head into that of the lateral line. The humerus has a short 



