vou XY.] PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 287 
the length of the snout. The width of the space between the eyes 
equals two-thirds the length of the snout. The mouth is very oblique ; 
the lower jaw projects, and the maxilla does not reach to the vertical 
| from the front of the eye. The length of the upper jaw equals two- 
fifths that of the head. The teeth in the jaws are in bands, the outer 
series much enlarged and brown at their tips. Head of the vomer much 
| ~ enlarged, but toothless. Palate without teeth. Scales on the cheek in 
about six series. The dorsal begins over the gill opening, the first 
spine very short, the second somewhat longer, the length of the spines 
gradually increasing backward, so that the last and longest spine is 
nearly one-third as long as the head. The longest soft rays (third and 
~ fourth) are nearly one-half as long as the head. The spines of the dorsal 
~arerather slender. The anal origin is nearly under the beginning of the 
soft dorsal. The fin contains four spines, of which the first is abuat 
three-fourths as long as the eye, and the fourth nearly one-third as 
~ long as the head. The longest anal ray (fourth) is more than one-half 
as long as the head. The least depth of the tail equals the length of 
the snout. The middle caudal rays are slightly longer than the long- 
est anal ray. The pectoral nearly reaches to above the origin of the 
anal and the ventral reaches to the vent. 
_ There are five or six rows of scales between the origin of the dorsal 
and the lateral line; eleven between the anal origin and the lateral line, 
counting obliquely upward and forward. Scales in L. lat.34, The line 
| is interrupted under the fourth soft ray of the dorsal and begins on the 
median line of the tail at a distance below the upper line a little greater 
than the diameter of the eye. 
mony, Iie A. TV, 9. 
The color is purplish brown; from the head to the tail there is a broad 
dark band, which is more or less broken up into separate blotches, the 
last of which is very distinct at the base of the tail. Fins dusky. In 
a specimen about 5 inches long the cheeks and snout are profusely coy- 
ered with minute roundish brown dots. 
