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the nostrils are seated at some distance before the 

 eyes : the mouth is small ; the jaws are equal, with 

 lax, fleshy lips : the teeth of moderate size, and 

 somewhat confusedly placed in both jaws : the 

 tongue and palate are smooth : the gill-covers 

 smooth, the branchial apertures opening widely 

 beneath : the gill-membrane five-rayed : the body 

 anguilliform, and marked down the back, as far as 

 the beginning of the dorsal fin, by a row of about 

 thirty-two small, sharp spines, set at equal di- 

 stances, and each recumbent in a small furrow, from 

 which it is erigible at the pleasure of the animal : 

 the dorsal fin commences at about two thirds of the 

 length of the body from the head, is of moderate 

 width, and is continued into the tail and vent-fin in 

 the manner of those of an eel \ the vent-fin running 

 beneath to about the same distance with the dorsal 

 above : at the Origin of the vent-fin are two strong, 

 short spines, and at a little distance farther oh the 

 abdomen is a third : the pectoral fins are very small 

 and rounded : the lateral line is pretty strongly 

 marked, and runs from the top of the gills along the 

 middle of the body to the tail : , the whole body is 

 covered with small scales, like those of an eel : the 

 colour on the upper parts is a clouded variegation of 

 whitish and rufous, the under parts being entirely 

 white : it is principally taken in the river J^owick 

 near Aleppo, 



