148 HISTORY OF THE FISHES OF MASSACHUSE 1 TS. 



Trichiurus lepturus, Yaerell, Brit. Fishes (2d edit ), i. p. 204. 

 " " Stoeer, Bost. Joarn. Nat. Hist., iv. p. 181. 



" " Dekay, Report, p. 109, pi 12, fig. 35. 



" " Storek, Mem. Amer. Acad., New Series, p. 346. 



" " " Synopsis, p. 94. 



Color. Of a uniform silver color throughout. Pupils black ; irides golden. Lateral 

 line of a greenish-yellow color. The dorsal fin is grccnish-jellow at its base ; fuliginous 

 above. The pectorals are yellowish at their base, and more or less fuliginous above. 



Description. Body without scales ; long, very much compressed, tapering to a point. 

 The abdomen is full, rounded, and smooth on its edge ; the inferior portion of the body 

 back of the anus forms an acute edge, which is marked throughout with sharp serrations. 

 The length of my specimen is thirty-nine and a half inches ; the length of the head is six 

 inches, or nearly one seventh of its whole length. The head is compressed upon its 

 sides, flattened between the eyes ; a protuberance exists upon the top of the occiput, and 

 two similar projections directly back of the eyes. The operculum is large, margined with 

 a very delicate membrane, and presenting numerous very delicate striae upon its surface ; 

 similar striae are noticeable upon the posterior portion of the -superior maxillary bone. 

 The eyes are large and circular ; their diameter nearly equal to an eighth the length of 

 the head ; the nostrils are large, vertically oval, situated in IVont of the anterior su])erior 

 angle of the eye. The gape of the mouth is large. The lower jaw is the longer, with 

 a prominent chin ; both jaws have numerous acute, lancet-shaped teeth. At the extrem- 

 ity of the upper jaw are two large, much-incurved, barbed teeth ; and back of these, two 

 other similarly formed, rather larger teeth, separated from the former by one or two very 

 minute ones ; posterior to these are about a dozen acute unarmed teeth, the posterior 

 ones the largest. At the tip of the lower jaw, on each side, is a large tooth similar to 

 those above them in the upper jaw ; when the jaws are closed, these project beyond the 

 upper jaw ; and the two anterior teeth of the upper jaw shut into a cavity of the lower, 

 just back of the chin ; back of these prominent teeth, in the lower jaw, are from fifteen 

 to seventeen other smaller ones ; of these, three, which are the larger, on each side, in 

 about the middle of the jaw, are barbed. The palatine bones are armed with very mi- 

 nute teeth. The tongue is of moderate size, and smooth. A portion of the roof of the 

 mouth is covered by a loose membrane. 



The lateral line arises upon the shoulder, at the superior angle of the operculum, 

 curves backwards and downwards to the inferior third of the body, until opposite the 

 fourteenth or fifteenth dorsal ray, when it pursues a straight course to the tip of the tail. 



The dorsal fin, which is composed of flexible rays, commences upon a ridge just back 

 of the occipital protuberance, and gradually increases in height towards its middle, then 

 diminishes, and is lost in the naked tail. 



