336 SPHYR^NID.E. 



at a considerable distance from the eye. There are two pairs of fangs 

 in the upper jaw, the posterior being the strongest ; the anterior 

 part of the palatines is armed with five strong teeth ; the teeth in 

 the mandibula are widely set, very feeble anteriorly, and becoming 

 gradually stronger in the middle of the jaw. The limbs of the prae- 

 operculum meet at an obtuse angle. The pectoral is rather short, 

 one-twelfth of the total length, and not extending on to the ventral. 

 The first dorsal commences behind the vertical from the root of the 

 ventral ; the second is nearer to the caudal than to the spinous dor- 

 sal ; the anal is opposite to the second dorsal. 



inches, lines. 



Total length 10 



Height of the body 1 (J 



Length of the head 4 



Diameter of the eye 7 



Length of the pectoral 1 4 



Distance between the two dorsals 4 



3. SphyraBna picuda. 



Picuda, Parra, p. 90. lam. 35. f. 2. 



Bt5cmie, Rochefort, Hist, des Ant. p. 181. f. 5. 



Parricoota, Dampier, Voy. Campcachy Bay, p. 71. 



Barracuda, Shane, Ilist. Nat. Jamaic. ii. p. 185. pi. 347. f. 3 ; Catesby, 



ii. pi. 1. f. 1. 

 Sphyi-fena picuda, Bl. Schn. p. 110. t. 29. f. 1. 

 Esox barracuda, S/iaw, Zool. v. p. 105. 

 SphjTaen a barracuda, Cuv. SfVal. iii. p. 343. pi. 66; Owen, Catal. p. 53 j 



Agass. Rech. Poiss. Foss. v. pi. F. p. 94. 



B. 5 ||. A. J. L. lat. 83. L. transv. 9/15. Vert. 12/12. 



The height of the body is contained more than seven times in the 

 total length, the length of the head 3| ; the diameter of the eye is 

 one-eighth of the length of the head. Lower jaw with a fleshy 

 appendage of moderate length, and mth sixteen to twenty teotli. 

 The length of the pectoral fins is one-eleventh of the total ; the first 

 dorsal and the ventral fins commence on the level of the point of the 

 poctoraLs, far before the middle of the body ; the interspace between 

 the two dorsals is equal to one-fifth of the total length. Above uni- 

 form greenish lead-coloured, beneath silvery ; sometimes with several 

 large brownish-black blotches on the side. 



Tropical parts of the Atlantic. 



a. Adult. S. Domingo. From Mr. Cuming's Collection. 



b. Young. S. Domingo. From Mr. Cuming's Ct)llcction. 



c. Adult. Puerto Cabello. Purchased of ]\[r. Brandt. 



d. Very large specimen : skin. From Dr. Pamell's Collection. 

 e-g. Adult, half-grown, and young : sldns. Jamaica. From Dr. 



Parncll's Collection. 

 h. Young : bad state. W. Indies. Purchased of Mr, Scrivener. 

 T. Adult. River Niger. From Mr. Fraser's Collection. 



