1885.] PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM, 45 



The material examined by us consists of the specimens in the collec- 

 tion of the museum of the Academy of Natural Sciences at Philadel- 

 l)liia, which have been very carefully studied by Mr. Meek ; of the col- 

 lections of the Indiana University, and of part of the Exocoeti in the 

 U. S. National Museum. Fifteen of the species here admitted have 

 been studied by us, two others (-E'. haJiiensis, E. cyanopteriis) being known 

 to us only from descriptions. 



The species here noticed fall naturally into four subgenera or genera, 

 for which we adopt the names Fodiator, Parexoccctus, Halocypsehis, and 

 Exocoetus. On the whole, it seems more convenient to treat these groups 

 as genera, but whether genera or subgenera is not a matter of much im- 

 portance. 



Most of the species belong to the typical and most highly specialized 

 genus, Exocoetus. The other genera mark transitions in the direction 

 of Eemirhamphus. 



The name Cypselurus, has been used by Swainson, Weiuland, and 

 others for those si)ecies which are provided with one or two fleshy bar- 

 bels or ribbons at the chin. These, we are fully convinced, are the 

 young of other nominal species, which are destitute of barbels. It is 

 probable that these appendages disappear at different ages in different 

 individuals. In two species, mesogaster, usually described as destitute 

 of barbels and furcatus described as with barbels, we have examined 

 specimens both with and without these appendages. 



ANALYSIS OF GENERA OF FLYING-FISHES. 



a. Roof of mouth (vomer, palatines, pterygoids) and tongue provided with teeth; 

 body not angular iu outline (elliptical in cross-section); pectoral fins mod- 

 erate, not reaching beyond middle of dorsal fin ; ventrals rather long, inserted 

 behind middle of body; dorsal fin elevated; anal long, its base scarcely 

 shorter than that of dorsal. 

 6. Snout long, slender, and pointed, much longer than eye ; lower jaw acute, the 



tip much projecting (approaching Hemirliamplma) Fodiator, 1. 



hh. Snout short, much shorter than eye; lower jaw scarcely produced at tip. 



Parexoccetus, 2. 

 aa. Roof of mouth and tongue, with few teeth or none; body angular in outline (a 

 cross-section subquadrate) ; jiectoral fins very long, their tips usually reach- 

 ing nearly to base of caudal ; lower jaw little prominent ; snout short. 

 c. Ventral fins inserted anteriorly, much nearer tip of snout than base of caudal, 

 not used as organs of flight, their tips not reaching nearly to front of 

 dorsal; anal fin long, its base nearly equal to tho.t of dorsal. 



Halocypselus, 3. 



cc. Ventral fins inserted posteriorly, more or less neai-er base of caudal than 



tip of snout, used as organs of flight, their tips reaching past middle of 



base of anal Exoccetus, 4. 



Genus I.-FODIaTOE. 



Fodiator, genus Taoxa{acuius). 



This group, which seems to us of generic value, agrees with Parexo- 

 ccetus in dentition and in general characters, differing in the form of its 

 jaws, which indicate a transition toward the genus Hemirhamphus. Per- 



