(j6 SaUAMIPINITES. 



torals and reach to the vent ; their spine is not quite one-half the 

 lenj^th of the head. 



The scales arc small, ctenoid. 



The teeth of the jaws form a \alliform band, with an outer series 

 of stronger ones, which are very slightly flattened. There is a small 

 patch of teeth on the head of the vomer. 



The ground-colour is now a grcj-ish-yellow, and appears to have 

 been red in Life. The back and the sides are banded with bro^^^l : 

 an indistinct, very narrow Line along the base of the dorsal. The 

 first lateral band proceeds from the occiput, where it is iinited with its 

 fellow, to, and along, the base of the soft dorsal ; the second from the 

 forehead, where it joins that of the other side, to the end of the dorsal 

 and the back of the tail ; the third from above the eye to the middle 

 of the root of the caudal ; the fourth (paler than the others) from 

 the eye to the lower side of the root of the caudal ; the fifth (the 

 least distinct) from below the eye, above the pectoral, to the end 

 of the anal. There is sometimes a sixth near the belly. The spi- 

 nous dorsal is blackish ; the caudal, pectoral, and ventral fins are 

 greyish. 



inches, lines. 



Total length 5 11 



Height of the body 2 



Length of the head 1 4 



of the fifth dorsal spine 84 



of the eleventh dorsal spine .... T) 



— — — of the caudal 1 li 



of the second anal spine 04 



of the pectoral 1 



of the ventral spine 7 



of the largest specimen 8 



The stomach is very spacious, with thin membranes ; the intestinal 

 tractus is 1 1 as long as the fish ; the testicles are separated from 

 each other. The air-bladder is large, prolonged into two horns pos- 

 teriorly, extending on both sides of the haemal spines, and into two 

 short processes anteriorly. Pseudobranchise well developed. Four 

 gills, with a foramen behind the posterior. 



Feeds on sea-weed and animal su\)stances. 



Third Group. TOXOTINA. 



12. TOXOTES. 



Toxotes, Ouv. R^gne Anim. ; Cur. ^ Vol. vii. p. 310. 



Body compressed, oblong ; snout rather produced, with the lower 

 jaw longest ; eye of moderate size. One dorsal with five spines, situ- 

 ated on the posterior part of the back ; the soft portion and the anal 

 scaly, the latter with three spines. ViUiform teeth in the jaws, on 



