FAMILY OF RIBAND-SHAPED FORM. 



scarcely project beyond the skin, and the tail termi- 

 nates in a long point, without any caudal fin. The 

 gill- rays are seven. Three species belong to the In- 

 dian seas : one is catalogued as British ; but further 

 elucidation is required. 



(Sp. 33.) T. Upturns. The Silvery Hair-tail 

 (PI. XV.) is a fish whose habitat is the Atlantic. 

 The greatest number of specimens have been derived 

 from the coasts of South America and the West 

 Indies, a ; few from those of North America and the 

 western coast of Africa: at Monte Yideo and Ja- 

 maica it is known as the Sword-fish ; at Cuba, as 

 the Sabre. The height of the body is to the whole 

 length as 1 to 16 or 17. At about the half of the 

 whole length, the body begins to diminish in size, 

 and is little more throughout the latter fifth than 

 slender tail. The lower jaw is the largest ; the eye 

 is placed high up, near the line of the profile : the 

 number of teeth is about fifteen on each side of 

 each jaw, being compressed, cutting, and pointed ; a 

 row of very minute ones occurs on the palatine bones ; 

 the tongue is long, free, and smooth. The pectoral 

 fin is small, with eleven rays; there are no ventrals; 

 the . dorsal commences in a line with the superior 

 angle of the opercle, the rays having a uniform height 

 throughout the greater part of its length, and dimi- 

 nishing toward the termination. The vent is at a 



o 



third of the length of the fish from the head, and 

 behind it there are numerous small spines. There 

 are no visible scales ; the lateral line, commencing 

 at the upper ectajfi of the opercle, descends to the 



