72 Zoological Society : — 



vides behind. The muzzle is short and obliquely truncate; the 

 lower jaw remarkably deep, and projecting beyond the upper, with 

 an acute boss at the symphysis. The upper border of the mouth, 

 which is strongly oblique, is formed entirely of the slender premaxil- 

 lary, carrying a double series of minute teeth which are sharp and 

 slightly curved, and reduced in front to a single series. Similar 

 teeth are placed in a single row in the lower jaw. The small tongue, 

 the palatines, and prominent vomer are toothless; but from the 

 upper ends of the maxillaries there projects into the mouth a pair of 

 large tooth-like bones that are compressed, somewhat falcate, and 

 blunt at the tips. The tongue, pharynx, and inner sides of the gill- 

 covers are deep black. The maxillary is extremely broad below, and 

 reaches to within a quarter of the diameter from the vertical from 

 the posterior border of the eye. The dilated portion has numerous 

 radiating crests, which are minutely denticulated. The mandibular 

 bones also carry denticulated crests. The seven-rayed branchio- 

 stegal membrane is completely concealed by the gill-covers. There 

 are no toothed processes on the oesophagus, nor any folds of skin on 

 the palate. The opercle is high, the width, from back to front, 

 being less than one-third of its vertical length. There is an elevated 

 crest at its anterior margin, which is minutely toothed ; and the rest 

 of its surface is furnished with numerous simple crests that radiate 

 from a point high up near the anterior margin. The free edge of 

 the opercle is even. The preopercle is narrow, and its lower margin 

 is denticulated ; some of its crests are also denticulated. The inter- 

 opercle is large, and projects beyond the throat ; it bears numerous 

 crests, that are denticulated and form small sharp teeth at the mar- 

 gin. The gill- openings are wide ; pseudobranchise are present ; the 

 first free pair of gills carries a series of spiny rakers of moderate 

 length. 



The single dorsal fin is moderately long, and commences over the 

 vent, somewhat in front of the middle of the back. It appears to be 

 higher in front, and to be destitute of scales. All the rays, except 

 perhaps the last two or three, seem to be simple spines. They are 

 stout, closely set ; and the first five are compressed, with minute teeth 

 at their edges ; the remaining spines of the fin have also teeth at 

 their edges. It terminates at the end of the curve of the back, 

 where the parallel-edged tail abruptly commences. The anal fin is 

 rather shorter than the dorsal fin ; their terminations are in the same 

 vertical. The rays seem to be of the same structure, with spinous 

 edges ; but it seems not to have been higher in front. Th^ pectoral fin 

 }s rather long (about one-third of the total length), rounded at the tip, 

 and mserted below the middle of the height on a level with the hot- 

 torn of the opercle. The first ray is less than one-third of the second; 

 the fourth ray is slightly the longest ; the rays begin to shorten 

 rapidly with the seventh. All except the first two are branched, and 

 these are denticulate on their anterior edges. Several of the others 

 are also denticulate at the sides. The thoracic ventral fins are placed 

 slightly behmd the root of the pectoral fins. They reach back at 

 least as far as the commencement of the anal fin, but are apparently 



