No. 2.] GRAMMICOLEPIS BRACHIUSCULUS. 273 
much so, that the rough borders of the scales would not be 
suspected without the aid of the fingers. 
Thanks to the length of these scales, four, five, or six of them 
are sufficient to span the height of the trunk, one of such a 
series being crossed by the lateral line, where its presence is 
denoted by a raised ridge. 
The leading scales on the body, above as well as below, are 
shorter, and where carried on to the head, are doubly as firm as 
those found at the base of the fin rays. 
Without having done more than counted the scales in a longi- 
tudinal line, I calculate that the number is considerably above 
two hundred ; those of the head, although shorter, have the 
same form as those of the trunk. There are no scales upon the 
fins. 
The caudal peduncle develops neither a cartilaginous nor an 
osseous plate at its sides. Posterior to the arms the ventral 
keel is rough. 
The cranium is more cartilaginous in structure than it is 
osseous, except the frontals, which are rugose in lines in the 
supraorbital region, and bristly in front, as are the turbinals and 
suborbitals; these latter are four in number, the last three 
being very slender. There are two supratemporals. 
The inferior mandible is characterized by several rows of 
minute spines upon the dentary and articular elements. The 
vertebrae number 10-+ 36. 
The anterior neural spine is not excavated, being lofty and 
smooth ; the five that follow are short and inclined backwards. 
The remaining ones are slender, which applies also to their 
hemapophyses. The last vertebra is without lateral spines. 
The pleurapophyses are inconspicuous, feebly developed, and 
have much the same size and shape as the epipleurals. I dis- 
cover but one pseudo-interneural spine in front of the one that 
supports the first dorsal fin ray. 
The specimen I described, when received by me was without 
gills and without abdominal viscera. Preserved as it was three 
days upon ice, its general color appeared to be white; but we 
have reason to suspect that in the fresh condition this fish can 
easily assume a violet tint. The hard parts of the head were of 
an intense violet shade. The ascending border of the preoper- 
culum, violet. The fins were white, changing to violet in cer- 
