of the Bay of Bengal 207 



cleft obliquely ascending ; the length of the maxilla is one 

 third tliat of the head ; a narrow band (?) of ^^niall teeth in 

 each ja\v and on the vomer; tongue large; only the floor of 

 the mouth pigmented. 



Gills 2^ ; gill-opening a small circular aperture just beneath 

 the root of the pectoral fin. 



Skin thin and perfectly smooth and scaleless ; it is pro- 

 tected by a thick coat of mucus. 



Two clavatc cc])ha!ic tentacles, the first being rather more 

 than twice the length of the second, situated close together 

 immediately behind the interorbital space, with luminous 

 organs imbedded in their enlarged tips. Second dorsal and 

 anal placed far back on the tail, almost in contact with the 

 caudal, which is pointed and in length a little more than one 

 fourth of the total ; all tlie rays of the vertical fins simple ; 

 pectorals very short, pointed ; ventrals absent. 



Colours : — Body and fins jet-black ; in spirit the tip of the 

 cephalic tentacles become white. Pharyngo-branchial and 

 peritoneal membranes unpigmented. 



One specimen, 1^ inch long. 



Hah. Vide Station 103. 



Family Cottidse. 

 Trigla, Artedi. 



10. Trigla liemisticta^ Schlegel. 



Trujla hemisticta, Temm. & Sclileg. Faun. Japon., Poiss. p. 3G, tab. xiv. 

 fi'gs. 3, 4, tab. xiv. b ; Gunther, Cat. ii. pp. 201, 202. 



About forty specimens from Station 96 (98-102 fathoms), 

 many of them being females with mature ovaries. It is 

 remarkable that the largest specimen barely reaches a length 

 of 7 inches. 



The original description of the vomerine teeth is '' il n'en 

 existe qu'un petit tas," and in these Indian specimens the 

 vomerine teeth are inconspicuous, obsolescent, or even in some 

 cases absent. The intestine is long and convoluted, and there 

 are five large pyloric cceca. The stomachs of the dissected 

 specimens contained Scopeli. 



Colours in the fresh state : — Head pink, dorsal half o£ body 

 pink, with large scattered black spots, ventral half silvery 

 white ; pectoral interradial membrane dark olive-green, pec- 

 toral appendages and ventrals pink ; first dorsal fin with a 

 large black patch from second to sixth spines ; second dorsal 

 with a longitudinal row of black spots. 



