278 Mr, C. T, Regan— J Eevisi'on 



openings, ^vllicll in part lie in front of and above the pectorals, 

 diflfering in this respect from Lophiomus and Lophius, in 

 which the gill-openings are entirely below and behind the 

 pectorals. Chirolopkius and Lophiomus agree in having' 

 about nineteen vertebra?, the teeth in the lower jaw in three 

 or four series, and also the last ray of the dorsal and anal 

 cleft to the base, but borne bj a single basal bone, whereas 

 Lophius has the vertebrae in increased number^ about two- 

 series of teeth in the lower jaw, and the last ray of dorsal 

 and anal simple. The gill-openings in Chirolophius re&&mh\Q 

 those of more normal tishes with regard to their position, 

 and the nature of the last dorsal and anal rays also seems to 

 indicate that in this family the most specialized forms are 

 those with the vertebrae in increased number. 



There are many features which are common to all the fishes 

 of the family which it is superfluous to repeat in specific 

 descriptions : the ridges and spines borne by the bones of the 

 head, more prominent in young examples than in adults,, are 

 constant in position, as are the rays of the- spinous dorsal, of 

 which the first two are supported by a single movable basal 

 bone which lies between the posterior processes of the pre- 

 maxillaries, the third is situated on the head behind the level 

 of the eyes, and the other rays, one to three in number, form 

 a more or less continuous fin behind the head. The lower 

 jaw has always an outer series of fixed teeth, wanting 

 anteriorly, increasing in size posteriorly, and internal to these 

 a number of pointed, hinged, depressible teeth, anteriorly 

 in two to five series, posteriorly in one or two, the inner 

 teeth being the longest. The premasillaries have poste- 

 riorly a single series of small fixed teeth, and anteriorly a 

 double series of depressible teeth, those of the inner series 

 being the longest. The palatines have each a few teeth in a 

 single series, the anterior of which are enlarged. The sub- 

 spherical nasal sacs are very similar to those of some Tetrodont^, 

 in all cases the anterior nostril is on the front side, the poste- 

 rior on the top of the sac. The projecting lower jaw causes 

 the exposure of the anterior part of the floor of the buccal 

 cavity ; on this account the velum of the lower jaw and the 

 anterior part of the tongue, except the margin, which is 

 concealed beneath the velum, have a similar colour to the 

 upper surface of the bod}'. 



The characters which seem of most use in determining 

 species are the number of rays in the dorsal, anal, and pectoral 

 fins, the length of the rays of the spinous dorsal (the first 

 ray seems to become relatively longer during growth, but 

 if, as frequently happens, it is broken off, a fresh fl:ip 



