72 Zoological Society :— 
vides behind. The muzzle is short and obliquely truncate; the 
lower jaw remarkably deep, and projecting beyond the upper, with 
an acute boss at the symphysis. The upper border of the mouth, 
which is strongly oblique, is formed entirely of the slender premaxil- 
lary, carrying a double series of minute teeth which are sharp and 
slightly curved, and reduced in front to a single series. Similar 
teeth are placed in a single row in the lower jaw. The small tongue, 
the palatines, and prominent vomer are toothless; but from the 
upper ends of the maxillaries there projects into the mouth a pair of 
large tooth-like bones that are compressed, somewhat falcate, and 
blunt at the tips. The tongue, pharynx, and inner sides of the gill- 
covers are deep black. The maxillary is extremely broad below, and 
reaches to within a quarter of the diameter from the vertical from 
the posterior border of the eye. The dilated portion has numerous 
radiating crests, which are minutely denticulated. The mandibular 
bones also carry denticulated crests. The seven-rayed branchio- 
stegal membrane is completely concealed by the gill-covers. There 
are no toothed processes on the cesophagus, nor any folds of skin on 
the palate. ‘The opercle is high, the width, from back to front, 
being less than one-third of its vertical length. There is an elevated 
crest at its anterior margin, which is minutely toothed; and the rest 
of its surface is furnished with numerous simple crests that radiate 
from a point high up near the anterior margin. The free edge of 
the opercle is even. ‘The preopercle is narrow, and its lower margin 
is denticulated ; some of its crests are also denticulated. The inter- 
opercle is large, and projects beyond the throat ; it bears numerous 
crests, that are denticulated and form small sharp teeth at the mar- 
gin. ‘The gill-openings are wide; pseudobranchiz are present ; the 
first free pair of gills carries a series of spiny rakers of moderate 
length. 
The single dorsal fin is moderately long, and commences over the 
vent, somewhat in front of the middle of the back. It appears to be 
higher in front, and to be destitute of scales. All the rays, except 
perhaps the last two or three, seem to be simple spines. They are 
stout, closely set ; and the first five are compressed, with minute teeth 
at their edges; the remaining spines of the fin have also teeth at 
their edges. It terminates at the end of the curve of the back, 
where the parallel-edged tail abruptly commences. The anal fin is 
rather shorter than the dorsal fin; their terminations are in the same 
vertical. ‘The rays seem to be of the same structure, with spinous 
edges; but it seems not to have been higher in front. The pectoral fin 
is rather long (about one-third of the total length), rounded at the tip, 
and inserted below the middle of the height on a level with the bot- 
tom of the opercle. The first ray is less than one-third of the second; 
_ the fourth ray is slightly the longest; the rays begin to shorten 
rapidly with the seventh. All except the first two are branched, and 
these are denticulate on their anterior edges. Several of the others 
are also denticulate at the sides. The thoracic ventral fins are placed 
slightly behind the root of the pectoral fins. They reach back at 
least as far as the commencement of the anal fin, but are apparently 
