42 NEW- YORK FAUNA. 



equal and conical ; on the sides, three or four, shorter, and conical, followed by more acute 

 and distant teeth resembling those in front. Tliree series, containing about twenty smaller 

 acute recurved teeth in front, behind the outer row. Tongue free, subacute, and corrugated. 

 In the upper jaw, in front, is a series of equal conical slightly recurved teeth, somewhat 

 longer than those below, smaller on the sides ; behind the outer row, in front, is a patch of 

 minute crowded teeth. Similar teeth in bands on the vomer and palatines. On the anterior 

 part of the vomer, is a very large solitary tooth. Pharyngeals also covered with teeth. 



The dorsal fin commences slightly posterior to the margin of the preopercle, and reaches 

 nearly to the base of the caudal fin. It contains eighteen nearly equal robust spines, and 

 twelve articulated rays nearly twice the length of the spinous part. All parts of this fin are 

 so covered with small oblong scales, as to give it quite a peculiar appearance. The pectorals 

 arise beneath the fourth dorsal ray, and the tip reaches to the third anal ray ; it is broad, 

 obtusely rounded, its rays protruding beyond the membrane, and covered high with small 

 oblong scales. The ventrals arise near the inferior fold of the branchial membrane, and are 

 composed of two long articulated rays, and a short rudimentary one on each side ; their tips 

 reach to within a quarter of an inch of the vent. Anal fin arises under the tenth dorsal ray, 

 and terminates beneath the eighth ray of the soft portion of that fin. Its simple rays are 

 sub-equal to the thirteenth ray, where they become longer ; the sixteenth and seventeenth 

 longest. Caudal fin nearly even, rounded ; nearly equalling in length the ventral rays. 



Color. Of this I can say nothing, as the fish had been preserved in spirits for many years. 

 It appears to have been of a uniform dark brown, without spots or stripes, the head appearing 

 somewhat darker. 



Length, 6'5. Depth, 1*5. Width anterior to the pectorals, 0'7. 

 Fin rays, D. 18.12; P. 14 ; V. 3 ; A. 19; C. 10 |. 



This remarkable species was brought from Florida about fifteen years since, and deposited 

 in the Cabinet of the Lyceum, where it is labelled Sciena fasciata. I have learned nothing 

 of its habits. 



Of the second family, MullidcE, I am not acquainted with any representative on the coast 

 of North America. The M. barbatus, introduced into Smith's History of the Fishes of Mas- 

 sachusetts, does not exist on the coast of America. 



