46. AG0NU8. 213 



Snout veiy prominent, with the cleft of the mouth inferioi ly. Anglo 

 of mouth and the inferior part of the snout (before the elcft of tho 

 mouth) wdth many barbels ; two pairs of spines above the snout ; tho 

 keels of the scaly plates prominent, and terminating in spines. The 

 space before the ventrals covered with many polygonal plates, liody 

 with undulated, brownish, transverse lines or spots. 

 Kamtschatka ; west coast of N. America. 



a. Very fine specimen. New Orcadcs (Gulf of Georgia). Presented 



by the Lords of the Admiralty. 



b. Adult : skeleton. New Orcadcs. Presented by the Lords of the 



Admiralty. 



c. Adult. Vancouver Islands, Presented by the Lords of the Ad- 



miralty, 



Pseudobranchiac well developed ; three gills and a half without an 

 opening behind the posterior one. The vent is situated before the 

 middle of the belly, immediately behind the base of the ventral fins. 

 The fish feeds on Crustacea. 



SJcelef-on. — The upper surface of the head is rather smooth ; there 

 is no occipital crest, but a sharp ridge proceeds from the orbit and 

 runs towards the suprascapula. The space between the orbits is 

 slightly concave, and its width equals the longitudinal diameter of 

 the orbit ; there Is an acute spine projecting above the posterior 

 angle of the orbit. The prsefrontals are distinct, striated, and some- 

 what elongate, not armed. The turbinal bones are large and long, 

 in immediate contact with each other anteri(jrly and posteriorly, and 

 leaving a free space between them ; they form the projecting part of 

 the snout, where each of them is armed with a pair of spines ; an- 

 other single spine is placed on the posterior part of the bone, close to 

 the spine of the other side. The lateral part ot the snout and tho 

 cheek are euiiassed by three large and striated infraorbitals : the 

 anterior is elongate, triangular ; the second is is(jscelous, its upper 

 point being situated below the anterior margin of the orbit; the 

 posterior is the largest, situated between the limbs of the ]>ra;oper- 

 culum and the orbit, the inferior part of which is formed by it. 

 There is a small and narrow postorbital. Each of the three larger 

 bones is armed with a spine situated in one line near the inferior 

 margin of the bones ; there is a series of muciferous cavities between 

 the spines and the inferior margin. 



The jaw-bones are situated at the lower side of the snoiit, which 

 projects considerably beyond the mouth. The intermaxillary is 

 short, Avidening posteriorly ; the maxillary is longer, feeble, and 

 becomes a little broader behind ; the mandibula has the muciferous 

 channel well developed, and several cavities leading into it. Tho 

 limbs of the prasoperculum are of nearly equal length ; two luJrizon- 

 tal ridges cross its angle, and the upper one terminates in a spine : 

 the operculum is rather small, triangular, with an elevated ridge. 



TTiere are twelve abdominal and twenty-seven caudal vertehrm ; 

 the haemal, neural, intcrhaemal and intemeural spines are short and 

 feeble. 



