08 ]\Ir. C. T. llegan on fhe Anatomy and 



Scombroids some account of five families wliich have hitherto 

 hcen placed vith them is necessary. These are : — 



1. Carangidae, 



The more generalized members of this family {Serio/a, 

 Nuucrates) have the anatomical characters of the Serranidae, 

 there being nothing in the structure of the cranium, verte- 

 bral column, or pectoral arch to differentiate them from the 

 latter, whilst genera like Scombrops and Pomatomus (Temno- 

 don) connect the two families. In the Carangidai the 

 caudal peduncle is more slender^ the caudal fin more widely 

 forked, and the hypuralembi'aced to a greater extent by the 

 bases of tlie caudal fin-rays than in the Serranidae, but the 

 close relationship of the two families is evident. 



2. Ehacliicentridae. 



Rhachicentrum has a broad, depressed cranium, but the 

 relative p sition of the boues is as in normal Perciformes 

 and as in the Caranoidse — i. €., the parietals and epiotics are 

 separated by the supraoccipital, theopisthotics and exoccipi- 

 tals extend forward to the prootics, t\nt prootics give rise 

 to an osseous roof for the myodome, alispheuoids and a 

 basisphenoid are present, but no orbitosphenoid, the pr^e- 

 niaxillaries are protra' tile and have a pair of po-terior pro- 

 cesses which slide backwards and forwards on each side of a 

 keel on the ethmoid, and the maxillaries are expanded 

 distally. Owing to the depressed form of the cranium the 

 basloccipital forms tlie fioor of the foramen maynum, and 

 the exoccipitals are widely separated below ; this feature has 

 no importance, as in the Carangidse both conditions (basl- 

 occipital entering and excluded from the foramen magnum) 

 are to be met with. 



The pectoral arch is exactly as in generalized Percoids. 

 The vertebral column consists of 25 vertebrae (11 + 14); 

 tliere are 9 pairs of ribs, all but the first of which are in- 

 serted on short parapophyses ; the epipleurals are attached 

 either to the ribs near their point of insertion or to the 

 vertebrae just above it. The caudal fin is lunate and the 

 rays do not embrace the hypural to a greater extent than in 

 Perch. However much the group Perciformes may be re- 

 stricted, I cannot see how this type is to be excluded from it. 



3. Coryphaenidae. 



In Coryphctna the relative position of the cranial bones is 

 as described in Rhuclucentrum. 



