﻿A 
  Fish 
  whose 
  existence 
  has 
  been 
  doubted. 
  73 
  

  

  it 
  turns 
  with 
  a 
  slightly 
  rounded 
  angle 
  and 
  extends 
  backwards, 
  making 
  a 
  few 
  undu- 
  

   lations, 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  straight 
  course 
  to 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  caudal 
  fin. 
  It 
  is 
  formed 
  by 
  a 
  

   narrow 
  series 
  of 
  small 
  scales, 
  visible 
  to 
  the 
  naked 
  eye, 
  larger 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  rest 
  

   of 
  the 
  body, 
  and 
  standing 
  in 
  relief, 
  becoming 
  narrower 
  and 
  the 
  scales 
  smaller 
  as 
  it 
  

   approaches 
  the 
  tail. 
  (The 
  straight 
  part 
  in 
  old 
  specimens 
  appears 
  continued 
  forward 
  

   as 
  a 
  light 
  furrow, 
  reaching 
  to 
  near 
  the 
  opercles.) 
  The 
  scales 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  mi- 
  

   nute 
  and 
  delicate, 
  hardly 
  distinguishable 
  by 
  the 
  naked 
  eye 
  ; 
  larger 
  towards 
  the 
  tail. 
  

   They 
  have 
  an 
  irregular 
  ovoid 
  outline, 
  with 
  from 
  five 
  to 
  twenty 
  concentric 
  striae, 
  

   the 
  inside 
  strisG 
  being 
  continuous 
  around 
  the 
  centre, 
  the 
  others 
  cut 
  off 
  before 
  

   and 
  behind. 
  Some 
  of 
  them 
  show 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  striije 
  on 
  the 
  under 
  side 
  more 
  nearly 
  

   circular 
  and 
  less 
  in 
  number 
  than 
  the 
  upper 
  ones. 
  The 
  scales 
  vary 
  from 
  l-40th 
  to 
  

   l-20th 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  length. 
  They 
  cover 
  the 
  whole 
  body 
  and 
  tail. 
  The 
  mem- 
  

   brane 
  between 
  the 
  2d 
  and 
  5tli 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  dorsal, 
  and 
  between 
  the 
  2d 
  and 
  

   3d 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  anal, 
  are 
  well 
  covered 
  with 
  scales 
  for 
  some 
  distance 
  from 
  their 
  base. 
  

   The 
  pectoral 
  fin 
  is 
  placed 
  just 
  behind 
  and 
  below 
  the 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  opercle. 
  It 
  

   has 
  the 
  elongated 
  falciform 
  outline 
  peculiar 
  to 
  allied 
  genera, 
  and 
  its 
  length 
  is 
  equal 
  

   to 
  the 
  short 
  first 
  dorsal 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  pentagonal 
  outline. 
  The 
  upper 
  margin 
  form- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  regular 
  curve, 
  while 
  the 
  under 
  one 
  expands 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  and 
  contracts 
  again, 
  

   rather 
  suddenly 
  at 
  first, 
  and 
  gradually 
  tapers 
  to 
  a 
  point. 
  The 
  articulation 
  is 
  very 
  

   free, 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  it 
  lying 
  in 
  a 
  depression 
  or 
  axillary 
  sinus. 
  First 
  and 
  second 
  

   rays 
  single, 
  the 
  first 
  subspinous, 
  less 
  than 
  l-7th 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  fifth; 
  second 
  sin- 
  

   gle, 
  with 
  about 
  10 
  articulations, 
  strong, 
  broad, 
  and 
  reaching 
  half 
  way 
  to 
  tip 
  of 
  fin, 
  

   with 
  a 
  narrow 
  membrane 
  along 
  its 
  upper 
  exposed 
  margin 
  ; 
  third 
  bifid 
  ; 
  fourth 
  trifid 
  ; 
  

   fifth 
  longest 
  ; 
  the 
  next 
  ones 
  decreasing 
  suddenly 
  in 
  length, 
  but 
  having 
  more 
  and 
  

   more 
  branches 
  ; 
  the 
  seventh 
  and 
  eighth 
  having 
  six, 
  whence 
  they 
  decrease 
  more 
  

   gradually 
  in 
  length 
  to 
  the 
  last, 
  which 
  is 
  short, 
  single, 
  and 
  delicate. 
  The 
  fin 
  has 
  

   eighteen 
  rays. 
  

  

  The 
  ventrals 
  are 
  very 
  short 
  and 
  feeble, 
  closely 
  set 
  together 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  edge 
  of 
  

   the 
  abdomen. 
  The 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  ray 
  is 
  exactly 
  twice 
  as 
  far 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  

   the 
  second 
  dorsal 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  jaws. 
  Their 
  length 
  is 
  equal 
  to 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  of 
  the 
  eye 
  from 
  the 
  facial 
  outline. 
  The 
  spine 
  is 
  thin 
  and 
  sharp, 
  not 
  quite 
  as 
  

   long 
  as 
  the 
  first 
  soft 
  ray 
  ; 
  the 
  second 
  soft 
  ray 
  longest 
  ; 
  the 
  last 
  connected 
  by 
  a 
  mem- 
  

   brane 
  to 
  the 
  body. 
  The 
  fin 
  has 
  one 
  spinous 
  and 
  five 
  articulated 
  rays. 
  

  

  The 
  vent 
  is 
  placed 
  just 
  behind 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  ventral 
  fins. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  dorsal 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  eight 
  spines 
  : 
  the 
  first 
  four 
  are 
  nearer 
  together 
  

   than 
  the 
  others, 
  and 
  longer. 
  The 
  whole 
  fin 
  lies 
  in 
  a 
  deep 
  furrow 
  when 
  depressed, 
  

   and 
  the 
  four 
  shorter 
  spines 
  hardly 
  appear 
  above 
  it. 
  They 
  are 
  all 
  connected 
  together 
  

   by 
  a 
  membrane. 
  . 
  The 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  is 
  nearer 
  to 
  the 
  second 
  dorsal 
  than 
  to 
  the 
  

   occiput 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  short, 
  while 
  the 
  second 
  is 
  longest, 
  and 
  equals 
  the 
  diameter 
  of 
  the 
  

   eye. 
  The 
  third 
  and 
  fourth 
  are 
  shorter 
  than 
  the 
  second 
  ; 
  the 
  fifth 
  is 
  the 
  shortest 
  in 
  

   the 
  fin; 
  the 
  next 
  three 
  are 
  also 
  very 
  short 
  and 
  nearly 
  recumbent, 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  

   one 
  being 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  dorsal. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  dorsal 
  has 
  one 
  spinous 
  and 
  twenty-two 
  articulated 
  rays, 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   tends 
  nearly 
  to 
  the 
  caudal 
  fin. 
  The 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  ray 
  is 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  

   uppermost 
  angle 
  of 
  the 
  dorsal 
  line, 
  and 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  fin 
  is 
  about 
  ^ 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  

   the 
  body. 
  The 
  spine 
  is 
  short, 
  and 
  closely 
  joined 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  ray 
  or 
  

   first 
  articulated 
  one, 
  which 
  last 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  long, 
  articulated, 
  and 
  apparently 
  single 
  ray, 
  

   stout 
  at 
  first, 
  and 
  gradually 
  tapering 
  to 
  its 
  end, 
  which 
  reaches 
  a 
  little 
  beyond 
  the 
  

  

  