FISHES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 109 



white ; portions just beneath the lateral line presenting the 

 appearance of a satin band, the length of the body. Lower 

 jaw longer than the upper. Mouth wide. Maxillary bones 

 toothed throughout their whole extent ; teeth in the jaws 

 strong, crooked. Three or more teeth on each side of the 

 tongue ; a tooth at the extremity of the tongue, much longer 

 than the others. Nostrils very large. Diameter of the eye 

 nearly three lines ; pupils black ; irides silvery. The lateral 

 line commences at the posterior angle of the operculum, and 

 passes on in a straight course to a line within half an inch of 

 the dorsal fin, where it can be scarcely discovered. 



The Dorsal fin is brownish ; its length equal to half its 

 height. The adipose fin is two inches back of the dorsal, 

 slightly curved, two lines in length. 



The Pectorals are six lines long, commencing on a line with 

 the beginning of the lateral line. 



The Ventrals commence two and a half inches back of the 

 base of the pectorals. 



The Anal fin is two inches back of the ventrals ; height of 

 the longest rays equal to rather more than half the length of 

 the fin. 



The Pectoral, Yentral and Anal fins silvery, like the abdo- 

 men. 



The Caudal fin is six linos back of the adipose fin, some- 

 what forked. 



The fin rays are : B. 8 ; D. 11; P. 14; V. 9 ; A. 15; C. 19. 



In the first volume of the " Journal of the Academy of Nat- 

 ural Sciences" Le Sueur described this as a new species, un- 

 der the name of '■^ viridescens." Cuvier does not acknowledge 

 this to be distinct from the European fish, and therefore " Ar- 

 tedi's" name has the priority. 



SCOPELUS. CuV. 



Generic characters. Body long, slender ; the principal dor- 

 sal fin over the interval between the ventral and analfitis ; a 



