120 GOBiiD-a:. 



The height of the body ia contained six times and two-thirds to 

 eight times in the total length, the length of the head three times 

 and three-quarters or three times and two-thirds. Snout produced, 

 depressed, with the lower jaw prominent ; the maxillary extends to 

 below the middle of the eye ; teeth cardiforra. The vertical diameter 

 of the eye is one-half the width of the interorbital space. Body 

 browTiish, marbled with darker ; head with two brown stripes be- 

 tween the eye and the upper jaw ; two indistinct oblong spots on the 

 base of the pectoral. Fins rose-coloured, with series of brown spots. 

 Fresh waters of the West Indian Islands and of Mexico. 



fl. Adult : has been in chloride of zinc. Barbadoes. Purchased of 



Mr. Cuming. 

 b~d. Adult : skins. Jamaica. From Dr. Paruell's Collection. 

 e. Adult : sldn. West Indies. From Mr. Scrivener's Collection. 

 /, g, h, i. Adult and half-grown. West Indies. 

 Jc. Adult : stuffed. West Indies. Purchased of Mr. Warwick. 

 l-p. Fine specimens. Mexico. From M. Salle's Collection. — Rather 



more slender than the specimens from the Islands. 

 q. Large specimen. From the Collection of the Zoological Society. 

 r. Seventeen inches long. From the Haslar Collection. 

 s, t. Adult and half-grown : bad state. From Captain Sir E. 



Belcher's Collection. 

 u-w. Half-grown : stuffed. 

 X. Adult : skeleton. From the Haslar Collection. 



Skeleton. — The crown of the head is flat, broader than long ; the 

 occipital crest is low, and does not extend beyond the occipital bone ; 

 another crest on each side of the occipital, and parallel to it, is higher, 

 and extends from the suprascapula to another crest which runs 

 transversely from the posterior angle of one orbit across the frontals 

 to the angle of the other. The oblong space between the two lateral 

 and the transverse crests is twice as long as broad. The transverse 

 frontal crest is continuous from one side of the head to the other, 

 and participates in the formation of a muciferous channel running 

 along the posterior margin of the orbit. The interorbital space is 

 broad. The anterior portion of the ethmoid is not covered by the 

 frontal bones. The praefrontal is well developed, and forms a 

 laterally projecting portion of the orbit. The maxillarj^ bone is 

 curved, sabre-shaped, and very slightly dilated at its extremity. 

 The intermaxillary is stout, -with the posterior processes short. The 

 articular bone and the posterior part of the dentarj' of the mandible 

 have a broad and thin lamella interiorly. The vomer is anchor- 

 shaped. The palatine bone, and stiU more the pterygoid, are narrow. 

 Tympanic groove with a veiy large free space behind the tympanic 

 bone. The infraorbital ring is indicated by a smaU pra;orbital and 

 a rudimentary poster hi tal. The prfcoperculum has a double ridge 

 posteriorly for a muciferous channel, its lower margin being simple ; 

 interoperculum small, operculum and subopcrculum of moderate size. 

 Glossohyal triangular ; urohyal elongate, subtriangular. 



The humeral arch is partially lost in our skeleton. Valenciennes 



