35 FISHES OF SINALOA. 407 
The septa between the myotomes are ossified about 
half an inch under the skin, forming long, slender rays 
of bone. 
There is an upper series running from the middle of 
‘the sides up on the back, and a lower series from the sides 
down on the belly, they form a sort of a basket around 
the body. Those below have a single branch near the 
middle of each, the ones above have two branches each, 
these branches are lost towards the posterior end. 
These bones are not present in the young. 
The large caudal fin is attached very firmly to the hy- 
pural, the long rays of each lobe join the hypural at 
about the same oblique angle, the base of each ray is 
deeply divided and articulated immovably with the hy- 
pural. The middle short rays are all nearly horizontal 
and are much less firmly fastened. 
The first interspinal ray of the anal is hollow and cone- 
shaped, the posterior end of the air-bladder runs into it 
as in the genera Hucinostomus and Calamus. The scales 
are very thick and closely imbricated; the skin anteriorly 
is a quarter of an inch thick. 
Family ELOPID. 
39. Elops saurus Linneus. CuiRo. 
Very common in the estuary, ascending into brackish 
mud puddles at high tide; not valued as food. Also 
found by Gilbert at Mazatlan. 
Family ALBULIDA. 
40. Albula vulpes (Linnzus). SANDUCHA. 
Very common in the estuary at Mazatlan: not valued as 
a food fish. Also found by Gilbert at Panama and Ma- 
zatlan. The band-shaped young, which Dr. Gilbert has 
shown to be the larve of this species, were obtained in 
abundance. 
