276 Mr. J. Y. Johnson on rare and little-known 



In the height of the fish, at the anterior dorsal fin, 74-28=3Jr 

 scales were counted. 



Only a single specimen of this fish has been obtained by rae 

 at Madeira, where two other species have been taken, viz. P. 

 mediten-aneus and P. Yarrellii, as well as a specimen of the sub- 

 genus Lcemonema, M. Valenciennes has described and figured 

 in his 'Canarian Ichthyology' (p. 78, pi. 14. fig. 2) another spe- 

 cies of Phycis, under the name of P. limbatus. From P. Yarrellii 

 and P. limbatus it is distinguishable by the presence of teeth on 

 the vomer, by the elongation of the third ray of the first dorsal 

 fin, by the ventrals being much longer than the head, and by 

 the uniform coloration of the vertical fins, which in the two 

 fishes referred to have white edges. From P. mediterraneus 

 (which has its first dorsal fin no higher than the second) it may 

 be discriminated by the elongation of the third ray of the first 

 dorsal fin, by the smaller eye (contained five times in place of 

 three times in the head), and by the ventrals being much longer 

 than the head. From Lamonema (Phycis) robustmn, recently de- 

 scribed by me in a paper read before the Zoological Society, it is to 

 be known by the chevron-shaped (not rounded) patch of vomerine 

 teeth, by the elongation of the third in place of the first ray of 

 the first dorsal fin, by the larger number of rays in that fin 

 (nine in place of five), and by the vertical fins being fleshy and 

 scaly. From Phycis blennoides, Risso (Hist. Nat. dePEur. Mer. 

 vol. iii. p. 222), I considered it distinct on account of the elonga- 

 tion of the third (not the first) ray of the first dorsal, and by the 

 larger number of rays in the second dorsal fin, Risso stating that 

 the Mediterranean fish has but thirty- six rays in that fin. But 

 Dr. Giinther assures me that there are mistakes in Risso's descrip- 

 tion, and that the present fish is really identical, not only with 

 the Phycis blennoides of Schneider (Bl. Schn. p. 56) and of Risso, 

 but with the Phycis fur catus of Fleming and YarrelL 



The specimen, which was taken in the month of April, and is 

 now in the British Museum, has the following dimensions m 

 inches : — 



Total length 29J 



Height under 1st dorsal 6f 



Thickness behind pectorals 31 



Head, length 6f 



„ thickness below eye 4\ 



Eye, diameter 1^*^. 



Mouth, width from side to side when open .... 3f 



„ width of band of teeth in front ^ 



Barbel 1^ 



1st dorsal, distance from snout 8^ 



„ length of base 2 



