a new Lophioid Fish from Greenland. 333 



proximately one fourth of the total length ; and this applies 

 also to the length of the jaws (about 54 millims.), to the 

 height of the fully expanded mouth, and to the distance from 

 the apex of the snout to the frontal spines (about 54 millims.), 

 or from the latter to the angles of the mouth (about 52 millims.). 

 When the mouth is shut, the apex of the lower jaw falls 

 within the upper jaw. The branchial clefts are situated at 

 about an equal distance from the tips of the snout and tail ; 

 they are comparatively not small (about 30 millims. high), 

 and are placed entirely below the attachment of the pectoral 

 tin and beneath a horizontal line drawn from the snout to the 

 apex of the tail. The eyes one would perhaps expect to occur 

 in the deep depressions at the sides of the head under the 

 lateral walls of the forehead ; but they are to be found rather 

 further back, at the boundaries of these depressions; they 

 may easily be overlooked, partly because they are very small, 

 partly because they are nearly hidden under the skin, which 

 forms over them a small, white, translucent, oblong spot 

 (3 millims. in diameter). An eye-cleft does not seem to be 

 present *. The distance of the eye from the frontal spine is 

 about equal to half its distance from the angle of the moutli. 

 Behind the anus, immediately in front of the anal fin, a small 

 anal papilla is observed. The sMn is everywhere black or 

 blackish brown, soft, loose, and smooth, without any traces of 

 scales, bony tubercles, or cutaneous lobes ; the cavity of the 

 mouth also has everywhere the same dark colour. 



At a small distance from the apex of the snout, in the lowest 

 (foremost) part of the cavity of the frontal surface, there is 

 inserted a frontal ray (first dorsal ray) of an extremely pecu- 

 liar form, differing considerably from that in Melanocetus 

 Johnsonii^ in which it is described as a simple filament dilated 

 at the apex into a little plate. The free part of this ray is 

 about 38 millims. in length ; when laid back, it does not 

 extend beyond the frontal pit ; it consists of two parts, the 

 " shaft " and the clavate " head," which are both compressed ; 

 and the shaft is attached by a kneed joint to a similar hori- 

 zontal piece (representing the ^4nterspinous bone" in Lophius), 

 which projects only by its outermost skin-covered part from 



* What Giinther states of the eye in iJ/e/anoce/MS— namely, " the eye is 

 situated high up on the side of the head ; it is very small, covered by but 

 appearing through the skin," consequently applies perfectlv to Oneirodes. 

 In Cerntias, on the contrary, a very distinct and well-developed eye-cleft 

 is present ; the eyes in it are also very small, and " seem to be surrounded 

 by an annular muscle, by the aid of which the skin may be drawn tnge- 

 ther over thorn like an eyelid, and almost ontirdy conceal them " (Kroyer, 

 /. c. p. G4o) . 



