MEMOIR OF RONDELET. 39 



in the great expansion of its tail and fins. The head 

 is osseous like that of a tortoise, quadrate, hard, and 

 rough, the hinder part ending in two long spines 

 turned towards the tail. The opercula of the bran- 

 chiae are osseous, likewise ending in two long spines, 

 which nearly extend to the fin placed beside the 

 branchiae. On each side of the extremity of the 

 opening of the mouth, two globular bodies resem- 

 bling pearls may be seen. The eyes are large, round, 

 red, or rufescent, like those of an owl. The whole 

 body is covered with rough osseous scales, eaeh row 

 of which forms a line, and they render the body 

 angular or rigid. About the head and tail, the body 

 is quadrate ; about the belly, round and white ; but 

 the back is reddish, with a dark ground colour. The 

 branchial fins are very long and broad, almost 

 reaching to the tail, rather dark-coloured, sprinkled 

 with stellated and variously formed spots, like the 

 wings of butterflies. Before these fins are placed 

 what may be called their appendages, which are 

 found in nearly all the fishes treated of in this book ; 

 these are, as it were, cartilaginous pili situate before 

 the branchial fins. There are other two erect fins 

 on the back, ornamented with the same colours and 

 marks as the branchial fins. The tail terminates in 

 a single fin, very like the tail of a swallow. The 

 greater part of the body is of a reddish colour with 

 a dark ground (ex nigro rubescit). Sometimes in- 

 dividuals wholly red are met with at Rome; but 

 those of our neighbourhood are rather dark, and of 

 larger size. The inner parts of the mouth are 



