112 DR. RICHARDSON'S DESCRIPTION OF AUSTRALIAN FISH. 



the tallest spine. The outline of the fin throughout is slightly convex, the rays dimi- 

 nishing posteriorly, so that the last one has only one-third of the length of the first one. 

 The whole fin moves in a furrow formed by longitudinal scaly fillets, separated on each 

 side from the back by a fine groove. The spinous part of the dorsal folds entirely into 

 the furrow, but the soft part cannot be so completely hidden. 



The anal fin commences opposite to the twelfth articulated ray of the dorsal, and ter- 

 minates opposite to the last ray of that fin, leaving but a short naked tail. It is sup- 

 ported anteriorly by three short spines ; its soft rays are longer in the anterior part than 

 any of the dorsal ones, and the outline of the fin is straight, with the foremost corner 

 rounded oft'. The anal furrow is less deep than the dorsal one. The caudal is very 

 much forked, and the incumbent rays of its base augment the vertical height of the tail 

 considerably. Double rows of small scales run out between the rays for two-thirds of 

 their length. There are no scales on the membranes of the dorsal or anal. 



The colours of the specimen have doubtless faded from the action of the spirit in which 

 it has been kept, but there are still some orange tints perceptible on the fins. There are 

 also three dark longitudinal stripes on each side of the back, nearly meeting in the 

 upper part of the tail, and continued forwards on the head to the eye and suborbitar 

 in a series of undulating lines and blotches. The upper band adjoins the dorsal fillet, 

 and the lower one is on a level with the eye ; they are separated by clear spaces equal 

 in breadth to themselves. A broader band is less distinctly marked behind the pec- 

 toral fin. The rest of the side is light, but there are some dark markings on the bor- 

 der of the gill-opening. 



Intestines. — Liver moderately large, with a squarish body, from which three long, 

 pointed, triangular lobes project, one of them smaller than the other two. Peritoneum 

 of a blackish hue. Air-bladder large, but so much torn in the specimen that its form 

 could not be ascertained. Descending part of the stomach moderately wide, ending 

 obtusely, and giving oft' a little above its middle a pyloric branch of half its diameter, 

 and not above a sixth of its length. A valve is formed at the pylorus by a smooth pro- 

 jection of the inner membrane. Four wide caeca surround the intestine at its commence- 

 ment, the longest measuring about one inch in length, and the shortest about half as 

 much. Beneath the caeca the gut dilates, and its inner coat is reticulated by small 

 plaited folds, which soon disappear. A circular valve projects into the rectum, which 

 is somewhat wider than the superior part of the alimentary canal, and is faintly reticu- 

 lated. 



Osteology. — Described from two specimens preserved in salt. The pedicles of the 

 intermaxillaries are about one-fourth longer than their dental limbs. The bones of the 

 head have no traces of cavernous structure ; the top of the cranium is smooth and con- 

 vex transversely. The lateral ridges of the occiput are conspicuous enough, from the 

 depressions of the bone above and below them ; but the mesial ridge, though consider- 

 ably shorter, is more elevated. The posterior edge of the operculum is straight and 



