MONACANTHUS. 127 



upper border of the base of the pectoral fin, superiorly 

 not reaching the horizontal line of the lower border of the 

 eye; the lateral line is anteriorly invisible, beginning con- 

 spicuously above the end of the pectoral fin, then bent down- 

 wards and from a little behind the first blue vertical band 

 it is straight; no large spines or bristles are present on the 

 sides of the tail ; the dorsal spine is curved and inserted 

 above the posterior part of the eye, armed behind with twO 

 rows of larger teeth which are few in number and directed 

 downwards, before there are two rows of small teeth closer 

 together and directed upwards, these have the same direction 

 as the smaller spines on the one-spined scales, which cover 

 the dorsal spine all over; the dorsal spine is strong, but 

 nothing can be said of its exact length the point being 

 broken off; its raembran is very small; a second dorsal 

 spine is not to observe; the distance between the dorsal 

 spine and the second dorsal fin is contained 5| times in 

 the length with the caudal and it is very slightly rising to the 

 second dorsal ; below the second dorsal and the anal fin the 

 body is somewhat higher, these two fins are low and ante- 

 riorly not higher than posteriorly ; the ventral spine is mova- 

 ble, armed on the posterior edges and on the end with larger 

 teeth and extends beyond the cutaneous ventral expansion 

 which is moderately developed ; the pectoral fins are short, 

 as long as the diameter of the eye, their base is behind the 

 posterior vertical line of the gill-opening, the upper border 

 of this base is a little above the inferior horizontal line of 

 the gill-opening; the caudal fin is rounded; the entire 

 head, body, tail, even the caudal fin, the dorsal spine and 

 the ventral spine are covered with minute scales, each scale 

 with curved lines radiating towards the centrum which bears 

 one small curved spine, directed back- 

 wards ; the scales are rounded and ^:^s, 

 placed irregularly; on the ventral flap 

 there are also scales, but these are 



larger, longer than broad, and with more spines (the figures 

 of the scales are strongly magnified). A small number of 



Notes from the Leyden Miuseuna , Vol. XXII. 



