FISHES. 215 



simplice: apertura branchialis, supera subovata, tubulosa" The 

 spur to which he alludes can only be the projecting rounded gill- 

 flap, which, from the opening running along its upper edge on 

 the side of the nape, shows in profile like the obtuse spur of a 

 violet. The latter clause of the passage is also intelligible if the 

 adverb supera be the word that was written by Forster. The 

 branchiostegous membrane is not broad, but when expanded it 

 assumes, from the tightness of its margin, somewhat of the swell- 

 ing form common among the gobioids and cottoids. When the 

 mouth is closed, the acute inner edges of the limbs of the lower 

 jaw, coming in contact with each other, overlie and completely con- 

 ceal the gill-membrane, and its attachment to the isthmus. 



The intermaxillaries are furnished round the entire border of 

 the mouth with a narrow band of short recurved teeth. The 

 rounded articular heads of the maxillaries project into the roof of 

 the mouth, and are lined by soft unarmed integuments. The 

 chevron of the vomer, lying contiguous to them behind, is smooth 

 and depressed on the mesial line, but forms a small minutely- 

 toothed button on each side, close to the anterior points of the 

 palate-bones. Forster describes this part of the structure by the 

 phrase " palatum papillosum, denticulatum" He also says of 

 the jaws "denies minuti" which must have been overlooked by 

 the authors of the ' Histoire des Poissons ' when they wrote 

 " Mais sur les dents des machoires Forster garde le silence." 

 The tongue is narrow and strap-shaped, free beneath for a great 

 part of its length, and smooth on the surface. The pharyngeals 

 are armed with short hair-like teeth ; and the long, slender bran- 

 chial arches are set with round tubercles, which are fringed with 

 a few minute teeth. 



' The scales are moderately large, of a semi-oval form, and trun- 

 cated at the base by a waving line, which produces a very shallow 

 middle lobe. There are about 13 nearly parallel furrows en the 

 base, and the outer edge of the scale is thin and membranous : 

 its structure is cycloid. The lateral line is straight, and is com- 

 posed of 48 scales, which are rather smaller and more lobed than 

 the others. A short mucous tube perforates the disk of each of 

 these scales, and rises above its surface. Behind the pectorals 

 there are three rows of scales above the lateral line, and five 

 below it. The scales terminate at the base of the caudal in a 

 lanceolate point on each side of the fin. 



Rays: Br. 7 7 ; D. 41 ; A. 39; C. 12f ; P. 20; ' V. 1/5. 

 The pectorals have an oval form, their central rays being the 



