240 Mr. J. Y. Johr.son on rare and little-known 



genus Scorj)(Kna from that of Sebastes; and there can be no 

 hesitation in ascribing all three to the same species, whatever 

 that may be. The longest has a total length of 7j^y inches, and 

 a height of 2:^ inches. The head measm-es 2f inches in length, 

 the eye | inch in diameter. The distance from eye to eye is 

 -^ inch. The pectoral and ventral fins are respectively If and 

 1^ inch long. These dimensions correspond closely with those 

 given from Mr. Lowers notes in Dr. Giinther's ' Catalogue of 

 Acanthopterygian Fishes/ vol. ii. p. 112. The second specimen 

 is 6y**^ inches long, and the third 6-i- inches. 



The diagnosis of Sc. ustulata given in the Catalogue, and 

 there stated to have been drawn up from Mr. Lowers manu- 

 script notes, is this : — 



"d. f. A. |. (L. lat. 24). Vert. 10/14. 



" The height of the body is 3| in the total length, the length 

 of the head nearly three times. The head is scaleless, but the 

 cheeks and opercles are pustulate or granulated. The length of 

 the snout is one-fourth that of the head, the width of the space 

 between the orbits one-seventh or one-eighth. Space between the 

 orbits deeply concave (groove on the crown of the head as in 

 Sc. scrofa) ; orbital tentacles none or small. The fourth dorsal 

 spine is the longest; the anal spines as in Sc. scrofa (the second 

 the longest). A black blotch between the sixth and ninth dorsal 

 spines ; an irregular chestnut-brown and blackish mark behind 

 the eye, extending principally over the opercle." 



Now, turning to my three specimens, I find that in the two 



12 . • 12 • 



larger the dorsal-fili formiila is -rr-, in the third, -^; whilst the 



' . . 3 



anal-fin formula is in all -p. The head is scaleless, and destitute 



of skinny appendages, except a tag at the posterior margin of 

 the anterior nostril, such as is seen in Sc. scrofa. The top of 

 the head, the cheeks, and opercles are without scales, and di- 

 stinctly pustulate or granulate. The muzzle is very short, broad, 

 and obtuse, extending only once the diameter of the eye before 

 it, as is stated with reference to Sc. ustulata. The length of the 

 muzzle is one-fourth that of the head, whilst the width of the 

 space between the eyes, which is deeply concave, is not quite 

 one-sixth the length of the head. In the largest specimen, the 

 fourth dorsal spine is the longest ; in the second specimen, the 

 anterior dorsal spines have been broken ; but in the third speci- 

 men the third, fourth, and fifth spines are of the same length, 

 as nearly as may be. Comparing the length of the head and 

 the height with the total length, the proportions in my speci- 

 mens are — 



