80 CIERHITID^. 



depth of the body is beneath the sixth dorsal spine, and is contained 

 4J- in the total length. The length of the head is 4| in the total ; 

 the interspace between the eyes is one-fifth of the length of the 

 head. The snout is produced, the eye being somewhat more i-emote 

 from the extremity of the snout than of the operculum ; the cleft 

 of the mouth is rather small, and the ujiper raaxillarj' does not 

 reach to the vertical from the anterior margin of the orbit. The eye 

 is of moderate size, one-sixth of the length of the head. The cheek, 

 the opercles, and the interspace between the eyes are densely covered 

 with small scales. The proeoperculum has the posterior margin ver- 

 tical and the angle rounded ; the subopcrculum overreaches the oper- 

 culum posteriorly. 



The dorsal fin begins vertically above the suprascapula and ends 

 at a short distance from the caudal, in the vej-lical from the 44th scale 

 of the lateral line. The length of the base of the spinous ])ortion is 

 rather shorter than that of the soft ; the upper margin of the foi-mer 

 is slightly convex, that of the latter straight and somewhat oblique. 

 The spines are moderately strong . the first is one-half the Jcngtli of 

 the second ; the following gradually become longer to the fifth, "whicli 

 is one-third of the length of the head ; and the posterior ones decrease 

 in length to tlie last, which is about half as long as the first rays ; 

 these are the longest, and equal to the fifth dorsal spine. There is a 

 low scaly sheath along all the length of the fin. The caudal is deeply 

 forked, one of the middle I'ays being one -third only of the upper lobe ; 

 both lobes are pointed. The a^ial fin is short, and begins in the ver- 

 tical from the sixth dorsal ray : the first spine is one-third the length 

 of the second ; the second is moderately stout, and shorter than the 

 third ; the third is one-thiixl of the first and second rays, Avhich are 

 the longest, and one-half the length of the head ; the other rays 

 diminish in length. The pectoral is composed of eight branched rays 

 and six simple ones, the sc-^ond of which is the longest, and much 

 exceeding the others in length. I cannot state the exact length of 

 this ray, as it is dried and shrunk, but I suppose that it reaches 

 nearly to the vent. The next ray also is very elongate, one-fourih of 

 its entire length projecting beyond the membrane ; the other rays 

 are gradually shorter. The base of the ventrals is very remote from 

 that of the pectoral, and falls in the vertical from the tenth dorsal 

 spine ; the length of the fin is about one-ninth of the total, and the 

 spine is two-thirds of the length of the fin. 

 The scales are of moderate size, cycloid. 

 The teeth form villi form bands in both jaws. 



inches, hncs. 



Total length 27 



Height of the body 6 6 



Length- of the head 6 1 



Diameter of the eye 1 



Distance between the eyes 1 3 



Length of the fifth dorsal spine 2 



of the second anal ray 3 3 



of the ventral 2 



