286 Mr. J. Y. Johnson on Fishes from Madeira. 



one specimen were six in number, in others seven. The mem- 

 brane is very large. 



The single short dorsal fin is placed far behind, over against the 

 anal fin ; its base is scaly. The first three or four rays are short ; 

 the longest rays are about equal to the diameter of the eye. 



The oval pectoral fins have their bases covered with scales ; 

 their length is not quite twice the diameter of the eye, and they 

 are inserted at a distance of about one-half of that diameter 

 behind the edge of the opercle. 



The ventral fins are shorter than the pectoral fins, and are 

 placed about the middle of the body minus the caudal fin. The 

 first ray is unbranched. 



The anal fin has a base longer than the dorsal fin ; five or six 

 of its rays seem to be unbranched. 



The forked caudal fin has a scaly base, and its lobes are of 

 equal length. 



The lateral line inclines gently from the vertical of the pectoral 

 fin, and its course to the tail is uninterrupted. From fifty-two 

 to sixty scales have been counted. 



On dissection, the peritoneal lining was found to be fuscous, 

 the coats of the csecal stomach very thick, the pancreatic caeca 

 from twenty-four to twenty-six in number. The intestinal tube 

 was long and much convoluted, and the rectum had a spiral 

 valve of seven or eight whorls. The gall-bladder was attached 

 to the small lobe of the liver. The liver was not large, and was 

 found lying on the left side of the stomach. There was no air- 

 bladder. The ova formed a long yellowish mass, extending 

 nearly the whole length of the abdominal cavity. The muscle 

 of the body was white and firm. In several parts of the abdo- 

 minal cavity, entozoa of different species were discovered, of one 

 of which (a Tetrarhynchus) Dr. Baird has given a description in 

 the Proc. Zool. Soc. for 1862, p. 115. 



The systematic position of this fish amongst Malacopterygians 

 has been much debated. By Dumeril it was placed in his family 

 of Opisthopteres, between Galaxias and Stomias, near Esox and 

 Belone. Valenciennes has considered it the type of a peculiar 

 family. Risso first described it from Mediterranean specimens. 

 During the last two or three years several examples, varying in 

 length from 23 to 27\ inches, have occurred at Madeira, where 

 it is known to the fishermen under the name of " Trista-linda." 

 They were taken in the months of January, February,, and 

 March. 



The following measurements were taken from the largest 

 example : — 



