NOTES ON CENTEINA SALVIANI. 823 



The other specimen measured 35 inches in length. 

 Giinther's description of the genus^ of which Salviani forms the 

 only species, is as follows : 



" Two dorsal fins, each with a strong spine ; no anal fin. Trunk 

 rather elevated, trihedral, with a fold of the skin running along each 

 side of the belly. Mouth narrow, with a deep groove on each 

 side. Teeth of the lower jaw erect, triangular, firmly serrated ; 

 those of the upper slender, conical, forming a group in front of the 

 jaw. No membrana nictitans. Spiracles wide, behind the eye. 

 Gill-openings narrow. 



" Mediterranean and neighbouring parts of the Atlantic.^' 

 The ventral aspect is perfectly flat, suggesting the idea that the 

 habit of the fish is to frequent the bottom, and to lie in one position 

 for long periods. The mouth also is extremely oblique in its opening, 

 and provided with deep grooves resembling the appearance found 

 in the skate. The eye, in proportion to the size of the head, is 

 large, and the heavy lids can easily be drawn so as to cover the 

 eyeball completely. The pupil has a somewhat singular appearance. 

 It is elliptical in outline, the long axis being vertical. 



The skin is a remarkable feature, its extreme roughness being at 

 once ap23arent to the eye and rasping to the touch. 



Each scale or dermoid denticle is irregularly pyramidal, presenting, 

 a sharp apex. The scales are so arranged as to form a close 

 covering of a diamond pattern, so hard as to be almost impenetrable 

 to steel. I have not seen any Elasmobranch which, in proportion to 

 its size, is so completely enveloped in " kosmin." A large Lsetnargus 

 will show the placoid scales of equal height, but not with the same 

 sharpness of point or closeness of base. 



One specimen when received had already had the abdominal 

 viscera removed. The other was a female. The ovaries were filled 

 with eggs, and extended the entire length of the abdominal cavity. 

 The eggs were in some cases of great size, the largest being two 

 inches in diameter. The oviducts had enlarged uterine dilatations, 

 the inner surfaces of which were covered with a dense mass of 

 vascular villi, the muscular layer being thrown into longitudinal 

 folds. A shell gland of a somewhat rudimentaiy character was 

 present on the anterior portion of each oviduct. Two large 

 abdominal pores were present in the posterior part of the cloaca. 

 Both oviducts opened internally by a single wide aperture situated 

 at the anterior end of the abdominal cavity. 



The intestine had no convolution, but was divisible into an 

 extremely short small intestine and the usual spiral colon. 



The liver was composed of two large lateral lobes, reaching to 

 the posterior end of the abdominal cavity, and a small middle lobe. 



