Holt and Calderwood — Report on the Rarer Fishes. 437 



angle of upper jaw, for reception of a prominence on mandibular sympliysis. 

 Cardiform teeth on vomers, slightly more consiiicuous than those of jaws. Cardi- 

 form teeth also on palatines, except in very young examples.* 



Colour, brownish grey on back, dull silvery grey on sides and belly, f antero- 

 sujjerior region of first, and margin of second dorsal fins, black or dark grey. 

 Pectorals and caudals, black or dark grey. Pelvics and anals, light grey. Jaws, 

 black or dark grey ; mouth, black. 



Locality and Distribution. — Only three specimens were taken, all in one haul of 

 the trawl at 500 fathoms, fifty miles off AchillHead, Co. Mayo, on the 10th July, 

 1890. As the trawl was only shot on one other occasion at a similar depth, and 

 was then reversed for certainly some part of its course, it is impossible to form any 

 opinion as to the abundance or rarity of the species off the west coast of Ireland 

 at such depths, but the negative evidence of a number of hauls seems to show that 

 it is certainly not common nearer the 100-fathom line. 



The species was known to have a considerable horizontal range, but liad not 

 previously been taken north of the Bay of Biscay, whilst its absence from the 

 collections of the "Porcupine," "Knight Errant," and "Triton," and of the 

 Norwegian North Atlantic expedition renders it probable that the western coasts 

 of Great Britain are about the most northerly point to which it extends. On the 

 other hand it is known to exist as far south as the Canary Islands (Valenciennes 

 and Vaillant), and to extend also into the Mediterranean (Risso and Bonaparte). It 

 is also known from Madeira (Lowe), and from the coast of Portugal (Capello and 

 Vaillant). The author last quoted is our authority for its occurrence in the Bay 

 of Biscay. Dr. Giinther (" Challenger," vol. xxii. p. 83) remarks that the speci- 

 mens taken by the " Challenger " were unfortunately destroyed on board, but 

 does not state the locality of capture. 



The species appears to be exclusively confined to deep water in whatever 

 latitude. According to Valenciennes, it used to be regularly fished for off the 

 Canaries at depths of 100 to 200 fathoms ; Lowe found, it at 300 or 400 fathoms 

 off Madeira, but Vaillant, whose records deal in all with the capture of twenty 

 specimens, found none at less than 332 fathoms, and extended the known limits 

 of its range to 740 fathoms. We have no information as to the maximum size 

 reached by this species, but the largest specimen taken during the cruises of the 

 " Travailleur " and " Talisman" appears to have measured 42 cm. in length, i.e. 

 30 cm. smaller than the largest specimen taken during the Survey. This large 



* Doubts were expressed by Giinther in 1860 as to "wbetlier the absence of teeth frora the palatines 

 (iu virtue of which Riippell established his species Pharopteryx henoit) was really of specific value ; and 

 Valliant has since been able to demonstrate, from material collected by the " Talisman " and " Travailleur " 

 that the character has merely a developmental significance. 



f There was no trace in our specimens of the greenish colour shown in Bonaparte's figure. 



