44 Mr. T. Gill on the Affinities of 



from thence to the tail, which ended in a blunt point, without 

 any of those kind of bristles which projected from the tail of the 

 one found formerly ; its greatest thickness was 2^ inches, the 

 distance from the gills to the anus 46 inches. The dorsal fin 

 extended from the head to the tail," &c. "There were no 

 ventral nor anal fins ; but the thin edge of the belly was closely 

 muricated with small hard points, which, although scarcely visible 

 through the skin, were very plainly felt all along it. Both sides of 

 the fish were white, with four longitudinal bars of a darker colour; 

 the one immediately below the dorsal fin was about 2 inches 

 broad, each of the other three about f inch. The side line 

 straight along the middle." 



On the authority of these specimens, the Trichiurus lepturus 

 was admitted by the British faunists into the catalogues of their 

 fishes. 



Dr. Fleming* considered that the two specimens belonged to 

 different species. " The differences in the position of the vent, 

 the structure of the tail, and the condition of the edge of the 

 belly, seem too great to justify the inference of their being only 

 varieties. The latter fish appears identical with the Lepturus of 

 Artedi, and consequently of Linngeus." 



Subsequently Dr. Fleming f considered that "the position 

 assigned to the vent, the absence of ventral fins, and the white 

 colour of the sides (of Hoy's first specimen), all accord with the 

 Dealfish (Trachypterus) . The colour of the dorsal fin, however, 

 which was of a blackish green, seems to oppose this view, though 

 the dead state of the fish may probably serve to explain this 

 difference, if duly considered." 



Mr. Jenyns % was inclined to adopt Dr. Fleming's opinion — 

 "that the first specimen of Hoy was a distinct species, if not 

 belonging to a different genus. There can be no doubt that the 

 one described above (Hoy's second specimen) was a true Trichi- 

 urus, and probably T. Lepturus of Linnaeus and other authors ; 

 but as the description is rather imperfect, and the species of this 

 genus ill determined, it is impossible to speak with certainty on 

 this last point." 



Yarrell§ especially alluded to the median lateral line and 

 lateral bands, and remarked that " it is evident that more infor- 

 mation on the subject is required ; the result of it may be the 

 establishment of Mr. Hoy's second fish as a new species of 

 Trichiurus, and of his first fish (which is evidently distinct from 

 the second) as the type of a new genus, if, as Dr. Fleming has 



* Brit. An. (1828) p. 204. 



t Loudon's Mag. Nat. Hist. iv. (1831) p. 219. 



% Manual, (1835) p. 872. 



§ Brit. Fishes, i. (1841) p. 204 (207)- 



