BONES OF LOPHIUS PISCATORIUS — MORROW. 341 
centre, it is attached to the parietals by suture, its anterior end 
by fibro-cartilage to the posterior extremities of the frontals, and 
it carries upon it the isolated ray of the first dorsal fin, together 
with its equivalent interspinous ray. It is a “ wormian” bone. 
7. The parietals—this fish, having no median crest, unite ; 
near their posterior extremities they have each a small, so-called, 
spine, and are joined to the supraoccipital. 
C. Immediately beneath the parietals, and extending from 
their anterior extremities, posteriorly, a little more than half 
their length, also supported by the exoccipitals, and extending 
transversely, united by a serrated suture directly under the sut- 
ure of the parietals, are a pair of bones which would seem to 
serve in the Lophiws the same purpose as the otoliths in the Cod 
fish; they are separated from the parietals in the dried skull by 
a delicate membrane, and on their superior surfaces are smooth 
and somewhat conical, having in each, on their outer margin, a 
deep angular depression; on their inferior surfaces they are 
rough and cancellated, and from the centre of their posterior 
margins a bar runs across each obliquely outwards to the lower 
margin of the depression which appears on their superior 
surfaces; this bar is perforated by a foramen of considerable 
size. I have not been able to obtain a fresh specimen of this fish 
in time to make a further examination of these bones. 
8. The supra-occipital appears to be anomalous ; it takes its 
rise from, and is anchylosed with, the neurapophyses of the 
Atlas, which together with it forms the very large foramen 
magnum,at the same time it forms, almost perpendicularly, 
a semi-circular cover to the upper posterior part of the skull, as 
you may see by reference to the skeleton. 
9, The paroccipitals project nearly at right angles to the 
skull, for the peculiar attachment of the supraclavicles ; looked at 
upon their under surfaces they are arrow-shaped, the longer 
blade of the arrow being on the outside, the shorter on the top 
of the skull. 
10. The exoccipitals are very epilack in shape to those in the 
Cod, but are each perforated by two comparatively large fora- 
mina of equal size. 
