432 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Form rather slender; the depth under the dorsal spine 

 a little less than the width; the caudal peduncle sub- 

 terete, scarcely higher than wide. Head depressed, 

 longer than wide, three ridges on the postorbital portion; 

 occipital bone ending in a narrowly truncate process, 

 the margins of the process concave, bordered by 3-4 

 bicarinate nuchal plates. All the lateral plates strongly 

 cariiiate, each keel covered with short, backward-directed 

 spines. Tip of snout naked in an example .16 m. long, 

 granular in those .3G-.45 m. 



Eye 3-4J in snout, 6J-10 in head, 3-4 in the interor- 

 bital. 



Preopercle erectile. Thorax and abdomen entirely 

 granulose. 



Base of dorsal fin longer than its distance from the 

 caudal, more than twice its distance from the adipose fin. 



Distance of dorsal spine from end of snout 2f in the 

 length, the spine 1J-1-J- in the head, the rays little 

 shorter, the tips of the last when depressed reaching the 

 spine of the adipose fin. 



" Adipose " fin, a compressed spine which has its an- 

 terior margin covered with short spines, and in the 

 adult, its sides also. Outer rays of the caudal not greatly 

 produced. 



Anal short, rather high, a little higher than half the 

 length of the head. 



Ventrals about 1J in the head. 



Pectoral spine reaching little beyond base of ventrals 

 in the young, to the last fourth in the adult. 



Body everywhere spotted with brown, the spots rather 

 large but the largest not equal to the diameter of the eye. 



Head and throat closely covered with vermiculations 

 which are much narrowerer than the spots on the body. 

 Fins with large black spots, those of the dorsal most 

 numerous on its posterior half. 



