5. EXOCCETTJS. 291 



caudal^ the length of the head one-sixth ; the diameter of the eye 

 equals the extent of the snout, and is two-sevenths of the length of 

 the head ; interorbital space flat. Pectoral and ventral fins very 

 long. Dorsal and anal fins high, the length of the longest dorsal ray 

 being two-thirds of that of the head. Pectoral with an oblique 

 white band ; ventral blackish, with white border. (Val.) 

 Indian Ocean. 



28. Exocoetus exiliens. 



Edwards, Gkanmr/s, uo. 210 (upper figure). 



Exocoetus exiliens, L. Gni. i. p. 1400 ; Cuv. Sf Val. xix. p. 114. 



fasciatus, Lcstieur, Journ. Acad. Xat. Sc. Philad. ii. p. 8, pi. 4, 



fig. 2. 

 exilieus, young, Citv, Regne Anim. 



D. 12. A. 13. 



Snout very short ; eyes large ; interorbital space concave. Pec- 

 toral and ventral fins with broad, rather irregular, brown cross 

 bands ; the lower lobe of the caudal with dark spots ; belly without 

 cross bands. 



Atlantic. 



All the specimens observed are of small size ; and there is no 

 doubt that Cu\'icr was right in considering it the young state of some 

 species. But it is uncertain to which species these young examples 

 ought to be referred : probably the j'oung of several Atlantic species 

 are similar to one another in having a more varied coloration. 



2. Pectorcd icith rounded spots. 

 29. Exocoetus poecilopterus. 



Valent. fig. 105 ; Ruysch, tab. 7. no. 18. 

 Exocoetus poecilopterus, Cuv. ^- Val. xix. p. 112, pi. 5G1. 



D. 12-13. A. 9. L. lat. 45. 

 Body stout, its height being two-ninths of the total length (with- 

 out caudal), the length of the head one-fourth. The depth of the 

 head equals the distance between the extremity of the snout and 

 the hind margin of the pra^operculum. Snout obtuse, somewhat 

 pointed, three-fifths of the length of the diameter of the cj-e, whicli 

 is nearly one-third of the length of the head and equal to the width 

 of the interorbital space, which is slightly concave. The pectoral 

 fin extends to the end of the dorsal. Ventral fins somewhat nearer 

 to the eye than to the root of the caudal, extending to the end of 

 the base of the anal. The origin of the dorsal is far in advance of 

 that of the anal ; and the distance hetivccn the first dorsal ray and the 

 first rudimentary candal ray is much more than the length of the 

 head. Anterior dorsal rays half as long as the head. There are 

 twenty-seven scales between the occiput and the origin of the dorsal, 

 and eight longitudinal series of scales between the origin of the 

 dorsal and the lateral line. Pectoral with numerous rather large 

 ovate black spots, distinctlv arranged in transverse bands on tlu 



IT 2 



