100 Prof. M'Intosh's Notes from the 



specimen Ayns obtained till 1887-88, when Dr. John Murray 

 found several off the west coast, and tlius the late Mr. G. Brook 

 made no additional lemarks on it in his interesting " Synopsis 

 of the Topknots," published in 1887 *. Two of Murray's 

 s] ecimcns were 3^ inches long, the third less. Mr. Holt f 

 lastly procured an example, 8^ inclies long, in 30-31 fathoms, 

 off yt. John's Point, Donegal Bay, in 1891, the soundings 

 being sand, gravel, and rock. 



The present example is 3| inches, or 85 millim., long, and 

 is a female with developing ovaries. As Couch observes, the 

 elongation of the body, in contrast with the other British 

 to]iknots, is characteristic; but in this instance it cannot be 

 said that the body is projiortionnlly thinner than in the other 

 forms — it is quite as thick. The scales are more distinct 

 than in ]\I tiller's topknot, and probably also tlian in the others, 

 considerably larger in proportion, and are more elongated 

 antero-posteriorly on the sides of the body. The free edge of 

 the scale is also conical, instead of forming a nearly straight 

 spinous edge. This bluntly conical edge is beset with a row 

 of slightly curved spines, usually numbering about thirty-five 

 or thirty-six, and more or less uniform in size, though the 

 median are generally a little larger, besides a series of 

 shorter spines — best marked at the apex of the cone — which 

 occur between and behind the others. On the white surface 

 the shape of the scales is the same, but the median teeth 

 ap])ear to be a little larger. These scales invade the base of 

 the caudal on the right or white side, as Couch says, as far as 

 they do on the left ; but the fin-rays beyond, both in this and 

 the other fins, have none. The character of the armature of 

 the scale thus differs quite from the condition in the other 

 forms, in which eight or nine spines occur, the median, more- 

 over, greatly exceeding the others. The scales which cover 

 the left surface of the fin-rays are more elongate and show 

 considerable variation in regard to the symmetrical position 

 of the terminal spines, tiie character of which, however, 

 remains the same. I'he ridge between the eyes formed a 

 simple curve, spread out in front and behind, and thus, though 

 agreeing with Couch's figure, differed from the examples from 

 the west coast, in which the ridge is described as f^o-shaped|. 

 The lateral line deviated from the figure of both authors, 

 since, though it inclined a little upward on approaching the 

 pectoral, the abrupt upward curve did not commence till it 

 reached a line failing within the tips of the pectoral rays, 



* Proc. Eoy. Phys. Soc. Edinb. 1887, p. 362. 



t litport Roy. JJubl. Soc. 



X Proc. Koy. Soc. Ediub. xv. p. 218. 



