♦5, H-EMULON. 309 



a little behind the anal ; the base of the spinous portion is one-half 

 longer than that of the soft ; both portions are separated by a deep 

 notch. The spines are strong : the first is two-fifths of the second ; 

 the second three-quarters of the third ; the fourth is the longest, and 

 2^ in the length of the head; the fifth equals the third, and the 

 following gradually decrease in height to the eleventh ; the twelfth 

 is longer than the preceding, and it belongs apparently to the soft 

 dorsal, being closely attached to the adjacent ra5^ The soft portion 

 is so thickly enveloped by scales, that it is difficult to distinguish 

 the single rays. The upper margin is slightly rounded, the third, 

 fourth, and fifth of the rays being the longest, and equal in height 

 to the second spine, whilst the last measures not half that height. 

 The caudal fin is moderately forked, and thickly covered by minute 

 scales to its margins. The origin of the anal fin falls below the 

 third or the fourth dorsal ray : the soft portion is higher than the 

 spinous, entirely enveloped by scales, and has a rather concave 

 margin. The fiist spine is very small ; the second very strong, 

 striated, equal in length to the sixth dorsal spine, or one-third of 

 the length of the head ; the third is rather shorter and not so stout 

 as the other ; on one side it is flat and striated, on the other longi- 

 tudinally grooved. The pectoral fin is pointed, and contained 4|- in 

 the total length ; it extends to the vertical from the vent ; there are 

 some scales at its base. The base of the ventral falls below that of 

 the pectoral ; and being much shorter than that fin, it does not reach 

 to the vent, and is one-sixth of the total length ; a series of small 

 wcales follows each of the rays, covering their base and the inter- 

 spaces between them nearly to the end of the fin. The ventral spine 

 slightly exceeds one-half of the length of the adjacent ray. 



The scales are of moderate size, ctenoid, and arranged in rather 

 irregular sei'ies; those of the lateral line are small, and their number 

 is variable, and would not indicate the number of the transverse 

 series of scales. An oblique stripe of very small scales descends up- 

 wards and forwards from the suprascapula to the nape. 



The teeth form in both the jaws broad villiform bands, but the 

 outer series contains large conical teeth, which are as strong in the 

 lower jaw as in the upper. In one of the specimens, one of the 

 upper pharj'ngeal bones is preserved ; it is armed with powerful 

 teeth, which, at the outer part of the bone, are strong and curved, 

 and towards the middle conical and pointed ; on the inner portion 

 of the bone the teeth are obtuse and broad, and assume the character 

 of molars. 



The ground-colour is now greyish ; there is a distinct, straight, 

 blackish band from the middle of the eye to the upper half of the 

 tail. Above this band are two or three others, and below 'it a 

 fourth, much less distinct, and in two of the specimens inteiTupted. 

 The ventrals are blackish. 



inches, lines. 



Total length 10 6 



Height of the body 4 



Length of the head 4 



Diameter of the eye 



