90 i'i;u(;iit,i:. 



and Vi'ry ln'ond lu'liiud, not cxlciidiiif^ t<i Uin vertical i'nmi llic centre! 

 of tlio <!yo ; the itneoiMtuI nairow, lialf iih Itroad an tin; maxillary. 

 There \h only one Hniail ojH'ninfj; of the noHtril, Hiluated al)ove the 

 anterior uiarfj;in of tho oyo, Tho crown rounded, convex. The 

 ])ru;oi)erciduni exhihitw a V(5ry line Horrature aion^^ the jxmtcdior 

 iinih, and a ratiier ohtuHO anj^le with houk; (roarne ohwdete denticula- 

 tionH, which extend on a part of the h)wer linih. The Huh- and inter- 

 o])orcuhnn are entire. The operculum iw provided with thre<^ flat, 

 Hhort ])ointH, the ui)i)er of which in hidden hy the Hcalen, the middle 

 broad(^st and lar^'c^st, and the lower ininutc, l)ut conspicuous and 

 immediately lu^neath the former. 



Th<! ({ormilis commenccH just above tho poHtonor marj?in of tho 

 o])er(iilum ; the sjtinouH jxirtion \h much lower than tlu; Hoft, hut as 

 l(m<i;; thci HjaneH are latluT Klender, and liecome ji;radually lon|<er 

 from th(! first to the last; Uw first is not on(!-half of the dianufter 

 of \]u' eye, the last morc! thiin tvvic(i as lonji;. The membrane be- 

 tween is deeply notched, and emifs b( bind the tip of each spine a 

 filiform apitenda|i;e, about half the leiiti;tb <if the spine. The anterior 

 part of the spinous ])ortion can be nearly bidden in a scaly sheath. 

 The soft ])urtion is ratbcsr' elevated, with rounded uj)])er marf^in and 

 roun(l(*d poslriior alible ; the middhi rays an; int liei' longer than tho 

 otlu^rs, the ninth beiufj; nearly twice as lon^ as tb<i last spin*?. The 

 cuudalis is deeply forluid, and each lolx^ very miicli ilonj^ate and 

 pointed ; the lon^;'est ray is about half the total lenj^tli (without 

 caudal); smaller d((ciduous s<:ales cover a great part of each lobe. 

 The analis is even more elevated than th(^ dorsal, without a pro- 

 minent sint!;le ray, and with rounded lowc^r mar|i;in. 'V\w spines are 

 not very strong, the sfjcond rather stronger but shoitcjr than the 

 third, which exceeds in length the last dorsal sjiiiu*. The pcctoraliH 

 elongate*, reaching to tlu! soft poition of the anal, and composed 

 of eighteen rays, the middle of which are longest, the* others be- 

 coming gradually shorU^r towards the outer margins of the tin. In 

 the vnitnilin the first and second rays are excc^edingly (dongato, 

 filiform, and n*a<h nearly to tlut root of tlio caudal fin ; the three olluirs 

 are v(!iy much shorter; the supporting sjiine is 1,^ longer than even 

 the third of the analis. 



Till* Rctilin are ratlmr large, nearly twict! as high as long, and one 

 of {\\v largest covers about one-fifth of the (!y((. The lateral line is 

 strongly arched behind the head, runs lu-ar the base of th(( dorsal 

 fin, and is again bent downwards below the ])oslerior end of that fin, 

 forming a straight lint- from thence along the middle of the tail. 



'J'liere are several Icitk deserving i\w denomination (»f canines : 

 first, in front of «»ach jaw a, ])air of rat,her feeble canines at, the ordi- 

 nary place ; secondly, in the upper jaw at the ])osf{!rior part of tho 

 villiform band, ludiind the front cnniiu-s, two or tliren pairs of 

 stronger t(!(!th, ntsarly as strong as the IbrmcM- ; thirdly, on the side 

 of the mandibula one stiong curved tooth, 'i'he vnmciiiie teeth form 

 a triangular grouj) (not an angular s(>ru'H). In the miildlc of the 

 tongue there is an oval i)atch of villiform t«<tli. 



'I'lio specinu'U is rat luw discoloured • bul tlieiv is evciy proluiliility 



