6 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vor. VII, 
coiling spirally around each other. These filaments are much 
longer, apparently, than in Chimaera colliei, being at least twice 
the length of the interocular diameter of the head. In the fresh 
state they were covered with small masses of yolk that appeared 
to be more or less adherent to their surface. 
There are only four gill-clefts actually present, for the 5th 
although being represented by a deep groove has apparently not 
yet broken through. 
Anterior to and covering over the upper part of the Ist gill- 
arch is a delicate crescentic fold of membrane—the rudimentary 
operculum. This bulges out somewhat prominently from the side 
of the head and lying just above and in front of it and between 
it and the eye is a slight angular depression. Judging from its 
situation I should have, without hesitation, considered it to be the 
spiracle, but under the present circumstances one can only await 
further researches before definitely deciding on this point. 
The Fins are well established and—in the case of the paired 
fins—remarkable for the degree of development to which they have 
already attained. The pectoral and ventral fins are folded dorsally 
so as to lie flat against the sides of the body and radiating fin-rays 
can be easily made out. The first dorsal fin is completely separate 
but as yet no trace of a dorsal spine exists. The second dorsal 
has not yet separated off from the remainder of the long median 
dorsal fin and is continuous around the extreme tip of the tail 
with the median ventral fin which extends as far forward as the 
posterior border of the paired ventral fins. 
No trace of claspers could be detected, but possibly the speci- 
men is a female. 
Between the ventral fins is a small but distinct anal papilla. 
The lateral line could be traced back to a point a short dis- 
tance behind the ventral fins and traces could be made out on the 
head of the cephalic system of mucous canals. 
The pedicle by which the embryo had been attached to the 
yolk-sac was broken but appeared to have been very short and of 
narrow diameter: it arose from the body midway between the 
two pectoral fins. 
The yolk-sac appeared to be completely enclosed in the blas- 
toderm and was roughly trilobed in shape: its dimensions were 
25mm. X 18 mm. 
The main features in which this embryo differs from those of 
Chimaera colliei are as follows :— 
1. The much greater length of the tail region. 
2. The projection of the mid-brain dorsally. 
3. The greater length of the gill-filaments. 
The occurrence of this egg-case and embryo is of extreme in- 
terest, as it is, so far as I am aware, the first occasion on which an 
embryo of Rhinochimaera has been obtained, and it affords un- 
doubted evidence of the occurrence of this genus in Indian 
waters. 
