200 LUSITANIAN VANDEL. 



wide) three inches and a half; and the thickness 

 very slight in proportion. The head is of the usual 

 form in the generality of fishes, and the lower jaw 

 somewhat exceeds the length of the upper : the 

 mouth is moderately wide, and furnished, both 

 above and below, with a row of middle-sized, 

 sharp teeth, but of which the two front ones in 

 the upper jaw, as well as two lateral ones at no 

 great distance from them, far exceed the rest in 

 size : the tongue is cartilaginous, spatular, and 

 about three quarters of an inch in length : the 

 eyes very large, with silvery irides : the gill-covers 

 consist of a large single piece on each side, and 

 the gill-membrane is furnished with five rays : the 

 dorsal fin is continued from the hind part of the 

 head throughout the whole length of the back, as 

 far as the tail, which is small and very much 

 forked, with sharp tips : the pectoral fins are of 

 moderate size, thin, ovate, or rather subacute, 

 with about twelve rays: the anal fin is much 

 shallower than the dorsal, and commences at the 

 distance of but a few inches from the tail, to the 

 base of which it is continued: the lateral line 

 commences from the upper part of the head, and 

 runs strait to the tail : the colour of the whole fish, 

 except on the fins and tail, which are pale brown, 

 is rich silver, with a dusky blueish tinge towards 

 the back, and without any appearance of scales : 

 the dorsal fin has 105 pretty strong rays ; the 

 pectoral fins about 12; the anal 20, and the tail 

 20, subdivided at their tips. 



