FAMILY GYMNODONTIDiE — ORTHAGORISCUS. 331 



Surface of the body, under the lens, exhibiting slight asperities, intermixed with scattering 

 filaments resembling hairs. Eyes large. Nostrils small, and slightly before the eyes. Mouth 

 small, with undivided teeth, the upper slightly projecting. Branchial fissures short, linear, 

 nearly vertical, and contiguous to the anterior part of the base of the pectoral. The pectorals 

 in the middle third of the length of the animal, and midway between the back and belly. 

 The vertical fins united ; the portions representing the dorsal and anal with fleshy bases, high 

 and pointed, and resembling each other. The dorsal portion contains twenty-five rays, of 

 which the anterior is longest ; the anal portion somewhat more produced than the dorsal ; the 

 caudal portion nearly straight, and represented by a loose membrane, with nine or ten pro- 

 jecting hair-like rays. 



Color. Olive-brown above ; lustrous silvery on the sides and beneath, where it is iridescent. 



Length, 1-0. Depth, 1-2. 



Fin rays, P. 12; D. + C. + A. = 52. 



This little fish, so remarkable for its form, was first noticed on our coast by Dr. Mitchill, 

 under the name cited above. I am not without the suspicion that this has already been figured 

 in Pallas ( Spicileg. Zool. pi. 4), and described and figured by Koelreuter in Nov. Comm. 

 Petropol. (Vol. 10, p. 337), with the following phrase: "Mola aculeata, limbo abdominis 

 " producto, attenuato camosa (pi. 8, fig. 2) ; length 7i French lines." There is a figure on 

 the same plate (fig. 3), one inch six hnes long, and one inch ten lines deep, which Koelreuter 

 merely alludes to. The notice of the species is, however, too vague to enable me to decide 

 upon the subject. 



GENUS ORTHAGORISCUS. Schneider, Cuvier. 



Body short, compressed, and as if truncated ; spineless, and not susceptible of inflation. 

 Dorsal, caudal and anal fins united. 



THE SHORT HEAD-FISH. 



Obtbagoriscds mola. 

 plate ilx. fig. 193. — (cabinet op the lyceum.^ 



Tttrodm mola. Linnkus, Syst. Nat. p. 412. 



Orthagoriscus id. Schneider, Block. 



Cephalus brevis. Mitchill, Med. Repository, Vol. 15, p. 195. Id. Lit. Phil. S«r. T»l. I, p, 47L] 



Ortkagarucut mola, The Short Hun-fish. Stores, Massachusetts Report, p. 170, pi. 3, fig. 1. 



Characteristics. Skin dark grey, rough. Depth two-thirds of its length. Length three to 

 four feet. 



Description. Form oblong elliptical, subtruncated behind, compressed. Skin covered with 

 rough granulations, but no vestige of scales, nor of lateral line. Head not distinct from the 



