11. CENTEOPOGON. 129 



Description. — ThLs species approaches in general habit the genera 

 Sehastes and Scorpcmia, from which it must be separated on accoiuit 

 of the number of the dorsal spines, — a much more ccrtaiu generic cha- 

 racter than the presence or absence of a prseorbital spine, wliich is 

 found in fishes that cannot be separated from Sehastes (S. nematoph- 

 thalmus). Having only dried sijecimens of the prcAsent species, I am 

 unable to jDrove the absence of a cleft behind the fourth gill ; but the 

 similarity with C.australis in other characters renders it very probable. 



The height of the body is Sj in the total length, the length of the 

 head four times. The head is slightly compressed, with the upper 

 surface rather flat, its width between the orbits being one-sixth of 

 its length. The eye is situated immediately below the upper outline 

 of the head, but docs not mtcrfere with it ; its diameter is 5| in the 

 length of the head, and shorter than the snout. The cleit of the 

 mouth is wide, the upper maxiUary reaching somewhat behind the 

 vertical from the centre of the eye. Each turbinal and occipital bone 

 terminates posteriorly in a small spine ; three very small spines are 

 visible on the superciliary margin : the praeorbital is armed with two 

 spines, the anterior of which is flat, triangular, and directed down- 

 wards; the posterior is elongate, thorn-like, shorter than the diameter 

 of the eye, and directed obliquely backwards. The suborbital ridge 

 is flat, without any prominence : the prasopercular margin is rounded, 

 and provided with five spines, two of which are situated where the 

 suborbital ridge joins the pra3operculum ; the uppermost is the 

 strongest. The operculum terminates iu two prominent spines ; the 

 coracoid spine is hidden beneath the skin. All the head appears to 

 be scaleless, and there are no skinny appendages percei)tible. 



The dorsal fin commences at a distance from the occiput which 

 equals the length of the fii'st spine. All the spines are of moderate 

 length : the second is about twice the length of the first anJ h\'o- 

 thirds of the third ; the fourth and fifth are the longest, their length 

 being less than one-half that of the head ; the following decrease 

 very slightly in length, the foui'teenth and fifteenth being nearly 

 equal to each other and to the second. The soft portion is rather 

 more elevated than the spinous, but very much shorter, the length 

 of its base being 3| in that of the spinous. The foui' posterior rays 

 rapidly decrease in length, and the last (spHt to its base) is fixed to 

 the back of the tail by a membrane. The caudal fin is scaleless, 

 with the posterior margin slightly rounded ; its length is 5 5 in the 

 total. The anal commences opposite the soft dorsal, with three rather 

 strong spines ; it is higher than the dorsal. The rays of the pectoral 

 are branched — the upper ones the longest, the lower ones the shortest; 

 the fin reaches to the vertical from the ninth dorsal spine. The 

 ventrals are inserted immediately behind the pectoral, and. fixed to 

 the beUy by a membrane for one-half of their length ; they reach as 

 far backwards as the pectorals, and their spine is strong. 



The jaw-bones, the vomer, and the palatine bones are armed with 

 bands of viUiform teeth ; the vomeriae band is crescent-shaped. 

 The scales are small and finely ciliated. 



The fish is now brownish, marbled and variegated all oyer Avith 



VOL. ri. K 



