746 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NEW JERSEY. 



looked upon as an occasional visitor. A single specimen has been 

 seen, taken at Tuckerton in 1860." 



These species are West Indian, and only rarely come north- 

 ward. A. ehirurgus differs from preceding in having a less con- 

 vex profile, shorter snout, vertical bars on sides wider, and 

 vertical fins with oblique streaks. Besides this, there is the 

 " blue surgeon," A. cceruleus, marked with bluish lines ; profile 

 concave, caudal forked, and body very deep; soft rays two or 

 three more. A form more like nigricans is A. tractus, distin- 

 guished by deeply-forked caudal, with long upper lobe, which 

 ends in a white thread ; fins, but not body, streaked. 



Family URANOSCOPIDiE. 



Star-gazers. 



Anal fin elongate ; pectorals broad ; eyes small, on top of front of 

 head ; body terete, largest at back of head ; scales small, in oblique 

 series ; lateral line feeble ; mouth vertical ; lips fringed ; pre- 

 maxillaries protractile ; gill openings wide ; branch iostegals six ; gills 

 three and a half, a small slit behind last. Carnivorous fishes, living 

 on sea-bottom. 



ASTRO30OPUS, Brev. 



(Agnus. Upselonphorus.) 



A. anoplus, Cuv. & Val. {guttatus — Abbott's Catalogue.) Star-gazer. 



Mouth large ; teeth of jaws depressible ; nostrils fringed ; a 

 Y-shaped projection on top of head ; a naked space in front of 

 the Y, between eyes ; belly mostly naked ; sides with fine scales ; 

 brownish, covered with small white spots ; caudal striped ; a 

 broad, naked, electric area on each side of the Y. Dorsal rays, 

 IV — 13; anal rays, 12; lateral-line scales, 113. Young said 

 to be naked. 



" This species is not abundant, but is generally to be found if 

 hunted for, from Navesink to Cape May." 



The following is evidently a stage in the growth of the pre- 

 ceding : 



