COSGERID.T,. lOU 



uiiterior nostril, runs back to the angle of the mouth, where it 

 curves over the end of the lower lip to be inserted into the lower 

 jaw. It is continuous with the integuments which cover the pre- 

 orbitar and suborbitar chain, and is separated interiorly by a deep 

 furrow from an inner lip or swelling gum, which runs along the base 

 of the palatine teeth. Three small cartilaginous bodies are imbedded 

 in that part of it which is attached to the preorbitar, and are seem- 

 ingly connected with pores on the edge of the lip. The under lip 

 is broader and folds back on the sides of the lower jaw, but runs 

 evenly to the roots of the teeth, without any interior furrow as in 

 the upper lip. Conspicuous pores exist on the end and top of the 

 snout, on the upper lip, the suborbitar chain, across the head behind 

 the orbits, on the hinder part of the mandible, and across the occiput, 

 where they coimect the lateral lines with each other. 



The nasal teeth are conico-subulate, short, and acute, and stand 

 in a small, dense, triangular cluster, on the point of the jaw, ante- 

 rior to the apex of the mandible when the mouth is closed. They 

 are followed, without an interval, by four rows of tlatly-rounded 

 vomerine teeth, the middle rows containing the largest ones. The 

 vomerine teeth extend as far back as the front of the eye. The 

 palatine bones are armed by an even, outer series of somewhat sub- 

 ulate, but not very acute teeth, with interior, rounded, granular 

 ones considerably lower, and about three deep, but not ranged in 

 determinate rows. The mandibular teeth are similar to the palatine 

 ones, but the dental surface increases gradually in width from the 

 corner of the mouth to the symphysis, where the teeth are five or 

 six deep. Tongue smooth. 



The distance between the end of the snout and the gill-opening 

 is equal to one-sixth of the total length, and the anus is a little 

 anterior to the middle of the fish. The dorsal commences over the 

 axil of the pectoral or lower angle of the gill-opening, and its rays are 

 more delicate and crowded towards the end of the tail, where it 

 unites with the anal. The pectoral is rather small. 



The stomach is coecal, wide, and obtuse, and, in the individual here 

 described, was completely tilled by a large shrimp, which was doubled 

 up, and but little broken. It has no small appendix such as e.xists 

 at the fundus of the stomach of the Conger vuhjaris. The gut 

 goes off from a funnel-like recess at the upper end of the stomachy 

 and descends straight to the anus, being bound to the stomach by 

 membrane as far as that viscus extends. The stomach and rather 

 more than half the gut were of a purplish-black colour, apparently 

 proceeding from their contents, the under part of the canal, below 

 the fundus of the stomach, being pale. The air-bladder, long and 

 slender, descends as low as the anus : its lower end tapers, and its 

 upper one divides into two tapering branches, one of the branches 

 being continuous with the tube which communicates with the oeso- 

 phagus. The heart and pericardium have a shining nacry appear- 

 ance, and are connected to each other by strong membranous bands. 

 This individual was killed when spawning, its belly being full of 



