of the Bay of Bengal &c. 455 



The posterior half of the interval between this fin and the 

 tip of the tail is crested by a low median fold of skin (not 

 much more than half a millimetre high after contraction in 

 spirit), enclosing distant, thin, sharp, irregular indurations. 

 Between this second rudimentary dorsal and the first dorsal is 

 a median erectile scale a little longer than the eye. The anal 

 fin arises a little in advance of tlie vertical middle of the body 

 and is continued to the tip of the tail. The pectorals, which 

 arise on narrow bases above the horizontal middle of the 

 body, reach barely halfway to the origin of the ventrals. 

 These, which arise exactly halfway between the gill-openings 

 and the vent, are united together into a broad plate. 



Colours in spirit : — Pinkish brown ; fins grey ; opercles 

 and gill-membranes black. 



Stomach short, csecal ; intestine straight, wide; both in- 

 vested throughout with black peritoneum ; a few minute, 

 rudimentary, pyloric c^eca. The liver embraces the oeso])ha- 

 gus ; its left lobe large, its right extremely small. The 

 generative glands form an elongated series of almost inde- 

 pendent lobules on each side. The air-bladder is an elongated 

 thick-walled nacreous sack, occupying the greater part of the 

 length of the abdominal cavity and ending abruptly in front 

 in a fine cord, which is firmly attached to the dorsal surface 

 of the oesophagus. 



Total length \b\ inches. 



One specimen. 



Hah, Andaman Sea, 7^ miles east of North Cinque Island, 

 in 490 fathoms. 



The dorsally-keeled tail with its indurations, the united 

 ventrals, and the loose palatine bones, all coexisting in one 

 fish suggest an alliance in the direction of Notacantlms. 



Family Mursenidse. 



Group Anguillina. 



CONGROMUE^NA, Kaup. 



Covgromurcena longicauda^ sp. nov. 



Head tapering in both dimensions from the gill-cleft to the 

 fleshy, blunt-pointed, projecting snout. Trunk an eye-length 

 longer than the head, one third higher immediately behind 

 the gill-opening than at the anal level, with a hog-back 

 dorsal and an inflated abdominal curve. Tail nearly twice 

 the length of the united head and trunk, compressed and 

 gently tapering. Eye large, circular, more than half the 



