244 SCOMBKBSOCIDJE. 



front ; superciliary region faintly striated ; base of the intermaxilla- 

 ries depressed, maxillary two-thirds hidden by the prseorbital. Teeth 

 of moderate size ; vomerine teeth none ; tongue smooth. The dia- 

 meter of the eye is less than the width of the interorbital space, and 

 contained twice and two-thirds in the length of the postorbital por- 

 tion of the head. Body compressed, its depth being less than the 

 length of the pectoral fin, which exceeds the distance of the oper- 

 cular margin from the orbit. Ventral fin nearly midway between 

 the root of the caudal and the front margin of the orbit. The middle 

 and hinder dorsal and anal rays subequal in length, short, the last 

 terminating at a considerable distance from the root of the caudal. 

 Caudal fin truncate. Scales thin and rather small, adherent. 

 Eastern coast of Africa. 



a-h. Fine specimens, 20 inches long. Port Natal. From Mr. Ayres's 



Collection. 

 c-d. Half-gro^vn. From the Haslar Collection. 



22. Belone truncata. 



Timucu, Marcgr. p. 168. 



Esox, Schopf, Schrift. Oes. ntrf. Freiind. viii. p. 177, 



Esox belone, Mitch. Lit. Hf Phil. Trans. New York, i. p. 443. 



? Esox longirostris, Mitch. Amer. Mouth. Mag. ii. 1817, p. 322. 



Belone truncata, Lesueur, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Fhilad. ii. 1821, p. 



126, with a plate ; Storer, Report Massach. Fish. p. 98 ; Delay, 



New York Faun. Fish. p. 227, pi. 35. tig. 112 5 Cuv. S{ Vol. xviii. 



p. 422. 



alnieida, Quoy 8( Gaim. Voy. Freyc. Zool. p. 22G. 



guianensis, Schoinburgk, Fish. Gnian. ii. pi. 1. 



timucu, Ctiv. 8)- Val. xviii. p. 426 ; ? Guichen. in Raynon de la 



Sagra, Hist. Nat. Cuba, Poiss. p. 150, pi. 4. f. 1. 

 scrutator, Girar-d, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sc. Philad. 1858, p. 170 5 aud 



U. S. (§• Me.v. Bound. Survey. Ichthyol. p. 30, pi. 13. 

 Tylosuiiis guianensis, Midi. 4* Trosch., in Schomb. Reis. Brit. Guian. 



iii. p. 626. 



D. 15-16. A. 17-19. P. 12. (nortnem specimens). 

 13-14. 16-17. (southern specimens). 



The free portion of the tail is moderately depressed, broader than 

 deep, without a lateral keel. The length of the head is a little more 

 than one-third of the total (without caudal) ; its upper surface flat, 

 with a broad and rather shallow, scaly median groove; parietal 

 region faintly striated; base of the intermaxillaries depressed, 

 maxillary only half hidden by the praeorbital. Teeth of moderate 

 size ; vomerine teeth none. The diameter of the eye is less than 

 the width of the interorbital space, and one-third or a little less 

 than one- third of the length of the postorbital portion of the head. 

 Body broad, subcylindrical, its depth being considerably less than 

 the length of the pectoral fin, which is about equal to the distance 

 of the opercular margin from the orbit. Ventral fin somewhat 

 nearer to the head than to the caudal. The middle and hinder 

 dorsal and anal rays subequal in length, short, the last terminating 



