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



The length of the head, measured to tlie edge of the oper- 

 culum and not to the end of the produced branchiostegal rays 

 and membrane, is about one fifth, the height of the body 

 between one sixth and one seventh of tlie total, without tlie 

 caudal. The vertex of the head with numerous mucous pores. 



Snout broad, depressed ; its tip is formed by the projecting 

 lower jaw, and its length, including the mandibular element, 

 slightly exceeds the major diameter of the eye, which is about 

 one eighth the length of the head as above limited. The 

 width of the flat interorbital space is twice the vertical dia- 

 meter of the eye. 



Mouth-cleft oblique, wide ; the maxilla is nearly two thirds 

 the length of the head as above limited. Introrsely-depres- 

 sible cardiform teeth in bands in both jaws; one series in tiie 

 lower jaw enlarged, with barbed hastate tips, and one series in 

 the upper jaw less enlarged ; in each palatine an outer irregu- 

 larly-double row of teeth, of which the anterior and external 

 are enlarged, and a very short inner irregularly-double row ; 

 hyoid bone and all the branchial arches toothed. 



Gill-openings extremely wide ; the branchiostegal rays and 

 membrane much produced beyond the operculum. 



Body, posterior part of head, and cheeks covei'cd with 

 deciduous cycloid scales, which are less deciduous on the 

 posterior half of the tail. 



The dorsal fin arises within the anterior half of the body 

 (measured with the caudal) just posterior to the vertical 

 through the base of the ventrals. The anal arises about an 

 eye-length behind the vent, which is nearly twice as far from 

 the gill-opening as from the base of the caudal. The fimbri- 

 ated adipose dorsal is situated far back, above the posterior 

 half of the anal. Caudal deeply forked, with an inconspicuous 

 median lobe. Ventrals long, delicate, and feathery, the 

 longest (middle) rays almost reach to the vent in the adult. 

 Pectorals very narrow and fragile ; they arise almost on the 

 same plane with the eyes, and their longest (middle) rays do 

 not quite reach to the dorsal fin. 



Stomach with a very long csecal sac ; eighteen large pyloric 

 caeca in a pectinate arrangement. 



Colours in life : — Hyaline grey ; paired fins and caudal 

 black, visceral peritoneum black, buccal and branchial cavities 

 partially and slightly pigmented. 



Numerous specimens, of which several are mature females 

 with gravid ovaries and two appear to be sexually mature 

 males, from Station 120, 240 to 276 fathoms. 



The mature females are from 9 to 10*5 inches long, the 

 males from 7*5 to 8'5 inches long. 



