8. HYPOMESUS. 169 



one-fifth of the length of the head. Ventral fins longer than pec- 

 torals, and extending nearly to the vent. Coloration uniform brown- 

 ish on the back, silvery on the sides ; head and sides with numerous 

 minute brown dots. 



Columbia River, Vancouver Island. 



a-d. From 8" to 9 inches long. Vancouver Island. Presented by 

 C. B. Wood, Esq., Surgeon, R.N. 



8. HYPOMESXJS. 



Mesopus or Hypomesus, Gill, Proe. Acad. Nat. Sc. 1862, pp. 14, 15. 



Body covered with thin deciduous scales of moderate size. Cleft 

 of the mouth not wide ; maxillary very thin, lameUiform, not extend- 

 ing to below the middle of the eye. I,ower jaw slightly prominent, 

 and received between the maxillaries. Dentition very feeble, only 

 the intermaxillary, mandible, palatine, and pterygoid bones being 

 provided with minute teeth ; teeth of the tongue strongest, short, 

 conical. Pectoral fins moderately devploned : caudal forked. Pyloric 

 appendages in small number. 



Pacific coasts of North America, and of North-eastern Asia. 



1. Hypomesus oUdns. 



Salmo (Osmerus) olidus, Pallas, Zoogr. Ross.-As. iii. o 391*. 

 Argentina pretiosa, Girard, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1854, p. 155. 

 Osmerus elongatus, Ayres, Proc, Calif. Acad. Nat. Sc. 1854, p. 17. 

 pretiosus, Girard, U. S. Pac. R. R. Exp. Fish. p. 324, pi. 75 (76). 



fig. 5. 

 oligodon, Kner, Denhschr. Ahad. Wiss. Wien, xxiv. 1865, taf. 4. 



fig. 1. 



B. 7. D. 10-11. A. 16. P. 14. V. 8. L. lat. 70. 



The height of the body is less than the length of the head, which 

 is two-ninths of the total (without caudal). Snout equal in length 

 to the dit-meter of the orbit, which is two-ninths of the length of the 

 head. The maxiUary extends but little beyond the front margin oi 

 the orbit. Body with a silvery band along the lateral line. 



Coasts of California, Vancouver Island, and North-eastern Asia. 



a. Seven inches long. Decastries Bay, Amur River. Purchased of 



Hr. Schmaltz. 

 h-d. From 7 to 8 inches long. Esquimalt Harbour. Presented by 



Earl Russell; collected by J. K. Lord, Esq. 



Although "we cannot doubt the identity of our specimens with 

 Girard's 0. pretiosus, the descrijition given by Dr. Ayres of 0. elo.t- 

 gatvLS woidd indicate a fish more nearly allied to our European Smelt 

 than is the present species. However, Girard, who had specimens 

 sent by Dr. Ayres for comparison, unites them. 



* This name is also adopted in the text of Brevoort's notes on some figures of 

 Japanese fish in ' Narr. Exped. to China and Japan under Parry,' p. 278. The 

 same author ventured to uanDs tiie miserable figure, pi. 10. fig. 2, Osmeria 

 japonicus. 



