140 
Br.6. D. XIII 10. A.18, V. 15. 
Length of head 22, pectoral 34, caudal 43, height of body 
3 times in length of body. Eye rather small, 5 times in length 
of head, equals interorbital space and 1} in its distance from 
end of snout. 
Two bony ridges run along the snout and over the inter- 
obital region to meet the dorsal fin. The superciliary ridges 
are about equally prominent so that the interobital space is 
crossed by four longitudinal ridges. Two bony ridges run 
backwards from the orbit nearly to under the 4th spine, one a 
continuation of the superciliary ridge and the other parallel 
to it but at a lower level. The preorbital is provided with two 
blunt spines, the second of which is larger than the first, and 
is about equal to the diameter of the eye. The preoperculum 
is provided with four blunt spines, the first and lowest being 
very small and the posterior being about equal] to the larger 
of the two preorbital spines. There are no prominent spines 
on the operculum. There is under each jaw a small incon- 
spicuous dermal appendage. 
There are villiform teeth on jaws and vomer but not on 
palatines. 
The dorsal fin commences over the centre of the eye. It 
consists of 13 spines, the first three of which are longer than the 
succeeding, and are placed nearer to each other than to those 
succeeding. Of the ten soft rays the largest is a little more 
than the greatest length of the first three spines and all are 
longer than the other spines. The pectoral reaches to the anus, 
the ventral about half way. 
The scales are peculiar and have a resemblance to the 
placoid type. On the surface they appear as papilla which 
are rough to the touch. Ifa piece of skin be examined micro- 
scopically from below a number of circular scales with the 
usual lines of growth are seen; these are fairly large, being 
greater in diameter than the spaces between them. On each 
of these is a relatively strong spine whose point is turned back- 
wards. The number of tube-like elements of the lateral hne 
is about 10. 
The colour in formalin is dark brown speckled with blacker 
spots on body and fins. There is a dark band on the tail. 
Five specimens were got in all, two (the largest and type 
47 mm. in total length) from the coast of Natal (False Bluff, 
N.E. 4} miles). They were procured by shrimp trawl, depth 
