120 Messrs. J. Wood-Mason and A. Alcock on 



extent is preoral. The suborbital crest is strongly salient 

 and serrated and terminates acutely at the preopercular angle. 

 The posterior half of the head is longitudinally traversed on 

 each side by two strongly serrated ridges, which are either 

 bony crests or the modified spines of scales that are indetach- 

 ably adherent to the bones beneath ; one extends from the 

 interorbital space to the occiput, the other from the supra- 

 orbital ridge to the shoulder. 



Nostrils situated immediately in front of the eye ; the pos- 

 terior is very large. 



The mouth is a small, completely inferior, crescentic orifice ; 

 its front limit is in the vertical through the anterior nostril, 

 and the maxilla reaches a little behind the vertical through 

 the middle of the eye. Villiform teeth in bands in the jaws, 

 the outer row in the upper jaw slightly enlarged. Barbel 

 slender, less than half the eye in length. 



Gill-opening rather wide, the membranes united quite 

 anteriorly ; first gill-cleft very narrow ; the gill-rakers are 

 small tubercles ; pharyngo-branchial membrane quite black. 



Body and head except the glosso-hyal region covered with 

 acutely spinigerous scales ; those on the body are of one 

 uniform size throughout, measuring rather over 2 millim. in 

 either diameter in the specimen examined. 



A scale from the head bears about three longitudinal serrate 

 or spinate carinse ; one from the side of the body bears five 

 slightly divergent antero-posterior ridges, which are armed 

 with long imbricating aculeate spines, the last in each ridge 

 projecting far beyond the edge of the scale. There are 6 or 

 6^ scales in a row between the posterior limit of the first 

 dorsal fin and the lateral line. No scaleless fossa on the nape. 

 The first spine of the first dorsal fin is very small, the second 

 is smooth throughout. The interval between the first and 

 the very inconspicuous second dorsal is hardly half the extent 

 of the base of the first. Pectorals narrow and pointed, their 

 length slightly exceeds that of the postorbital portion of the 

 head. Ventrals with the outer ray prolonged. 



Stomach large, siphonal ; many long slender ca3ca in a 

 thick cluster round the pylorus ; apparently no air-bladder. 



Colours in life : — Chocolate ; body and tail with numerous 

 broad black cross bands, which do not reach the mid-abdo- 

 minal line. 



Two specimens, measuring one 7, the other 4*5 inches, from 

 Station 115, 188 to 220 fathoms, and a third small specimen 

 from Station 116, 405 fathoms. 



