Mr. J. Y. Johnson on new Fishes from Madeira. 75 



but the short palatines (which come into contact in front) bear minute 

 teeth, and in a line with them behind are the entopterygoids or 

 pterygoids with narrow bands of minute teeth. The rakers of all the 

 branchial arches carry similar teeth. On the hinder part of the 

 tongue, which is black and free at the tip, there is an ovate patch of 

 minute teeth. The mouth is black, as well as the inside of the gill- 

 covers. The gill-openings are large, and the gills consist of four 

 pairs. The subopercle is thin, scaleless, and striate ; it projects 

 backwards considerably beyond the opercle, which is scaly, with a 

 rounded even edge. The margin of the preopercle is concealed in 

 the scaly skin. The two orifices of each nostril are small and near 

 together. There is a small cuticular tag at the margin of each ori- 

 fice. 



The triangular dorsal fin is placed over the space between th^ 

 rentral fins and the vent. There are scales on the membrane be- 

 tween the rays. The second and third rays are the longest, and are 

 about twice as long as the base of the fin. The first ray is unbranched, 

 and is only half as long as the two next. The pectoral fins are 

 scaleless, pointed, and longer than the ventral fins. They are in* 

 serted in the upper half of the height, and have narrow bases. The 

 abdominal ventral fins are distinct, but inserted close together ; they 

 are scaly, truncate, and the first two rays are unbranched. At the 

 outer angle of the base there is a thin pointed scale. The vent is 

 placed in the anterior half of the total length of the fish, and has no 

 papilla near it. The anal fin is high throughout, but is higher in 

 front than behind. The first three rays are unbranched ; the base 

 is scaly, and the fin extends with numerous rays up to the caudal, 

 which is represented by two hair-like rays. 



The lateral line is very low down, and commences at the lower 

 angle of the subopercle. It follows a straight course until it reaches 

 the lower edge of the body, where it is lost. About 1 70 scales may 

 be counted in the length of the body between the opercle and the 

 tip of the tail. In the height of the body there are twenty-two 

 scales, of which five are below the lateral line. 



The single individual obtained was caught in the month of Feb- 

 ruary. It was a female with eggs, which lay in two masses side by 

 side, J \ inches long, uncovered with a sac. The caecal stomach was 

 small, and contained nothing but a little much-digested matter. 

 There were twelve small pyloric ceeca, which increased in length 

 backwards. The air-bladder had a delicate silvery coat, and was 

 5 inches long. The liver had a length of 1^ inch. The intestine 

 was straight. The peritoneum was black anteriorly ; posteriorly 

 there were patches of black lines on a pale ground. 



The following are the dimensions of the specimen, which is now 



in the British Museum : — 



inches. 



Total length 1»tV 



Height between dorsal and ventral 



Head 



Eye, longer axis, nearly 



I Of* 



