seba's figures. 379 



text says : — " This was sent to us from St. Do7ningo 

 with other animals. It is a beast truly extraordinary. 

 It has a muzzle hard as horn, pointed like a bird's 

 beak, with two fins under the lower jaw, that serve 

 for swimming. The head is covered tvith great 

 scales ; all the upper part of the body is pale yellow, 

 marked with oval reddish-yellow spots, like a tiger. 

 The fins are coral-red, as those of a Perch. The 

 ventral scales are yellowish grey, of irregular size, 

 and set without order. This Eel is in almost every 

 thing like a Serpent, and perhaps is a species of that 

 tribe." 



Of the second species, the author observes that it is 

 " Like the former in all respects, except the colour- 

 ing, which exhibits, instead of spots, a series of five 

 sea-green bands, extending along the reddish scales 

 of the back. The fins are coral-red as before. The 

 eyes are minute, and placed near the anterior part of 

 the muzzle. The scales of the helly are large, and 

 placed symmetrically, as in serpents." 



It is evident from the expressions of wonder used 

 by Seba, one of which I have quoted, that these 

 were no ordinary forms. He is dubious, it is true, 

 whether to assign them to the Eels or to the Serpents ; 

 and he calls them " marine," but whether on any other 

 evidence than the fin-like appendages of the cheeks, 

 does not appear. He calls these appendages " fins," 

 and compares them (when speaking of their colour) to 

 those of a Perch. The round pointed head suggests 

 a Murcena, but Murana possesses no pectoral fins, 

 while in these fishes a long dorsal and anal meet 

 around the extremity of the body ; and the posterior 

 parts are vertically flattened. The scales, too, in 



