NOMENCLATURE AND MORPHOLOGY. 127 



which it does very prominently in this species. The posterior 

 extremity of the maxillary is very much dilated, extending, to 

 a vertical line drawn considerably back of the whole orbit; the 

 tongue is large and stout at its base, thinning and tapering 

 towards its apex, which is broadly rounded ; it is smooth ante- 

 riorly, being provided posteriorly and upon its middle with a 

 narrow band of velvet-like teeth ; both nostrils are nearer the 

 anterior rim of the orbit than the extremity of the snout; the 

 anterior one is a little smaller than the posterior, and placed 

 more outwardly with reference to the middle of the snout ; the 

 eye is of moderate development, sub -circular in shape, reaching 

 to the summit of the cranium, its diameter enters about six times 

 and one-half in the length of the side of the head, twice in ad_ 

 vance of the anterior rim of the orbit ; the opercular apparatus 

 is perfectly smooth and deprived of either spines or serratures; 

 the scales upon the cheeks are but slightly smaller than those 

 covering the opercular pieces; the gill openings are wide and 

 continuous under the throat. The base of the first or spiny 

 dorsal is longer than that of the second, but the fin itself is lower 

 and more arched in its outline ; the first and second spines are 

 shorter than the third, which is the highest, the remaining ones 

 diminishing gradually posteriorly; the tenth spine by its position 

 belongs rather to the second than the first dorsal ; the second 

 dorsal is higher than long, sub-trapezoid, its upper edge being 

 but slightly convex and the posterior rays almost as high as the 

 anterior ones ; the posterior margin of the caudal is sub-cres- 

 centic or sub-concave ; the fin itself is contained 5J times in 

 the total length ; the origin of the anal corresponds to a vertical 

 line intersecting the anterior third of the second dorsal ; its base 

 extends a little further back than that of the latter, although 

 the tips of the posterior rays of both fins are nearly even, the 

 anal being not quite so deep as the second dorsal is high ; its 

 whole base, including the three small and slender spines at its 

 anterior margin, is shorter than that of the second dorsal; the 



