204 Mr. A. Alcock on the Bathyhial Fishes 



same standard ; its surface is studded with pores, those on the 

 crown being elHptical and arranged in numerous longitudinal 

 rows. Snout depressed, tapering, and rounded, its length 

 being twice the diameter of the eye and one fourth the length 

 of the head ; the lower jaw projects slightly. Eyes lateral, 

 small, circular, deep-set ; interorbital space twice the diameter 

 of the eye and nearly flat from side to side ; it is traversed 

 by two anteriorly-converging ridges which enclose a V-shaped 

 groove, in the centre and also at the apex of which is a lumi- 

 nous (?) gland. Nostrils large, superior, situated near the tip 

 of the snout. Cleft of mouth oblique, extremely wide, its 

 angle nearly reaching the preopercular angle ; the maxilla, 

 which is much more slender than the premaxilla, is almost 

 three fourths the length of the head ; the symphyseal con- 

 nexions are loose ; the labial folds are thin and almost obso- 

 lete. Depressible hinged fangs in two rows, those of the inner 

 row being much the larger, in both jaws, and a row of distant, 

 fixed, recurved teeth in each palatine ; the most anterior and 

 external premaxillary tooth is very stout, curved, and fixed. 

 Tongue free, thin, foliate. Gill-openings wide ; gill-covers 

 thin and flexible, the preoperculum with a very oblique edge, 

 a small, stout, obliquely decurrent spine at its angle, and a 

 thick muscular covering ; gill-membranes attached to the 

 isthmus in its anterior half; four gills, the last gill-cleft a 

 small foramen, branchial arches extremely weak and flexible ; 

 no gill-rakers ; pseudobranchise well developed. 



Skin entirely scaleless, thin, covered with a uniformly thick 

 adherent layer of mucus ; a single lateral line, which follows 

 the dorsal profile from occiput to base of caudal. 



Two dorsal fins, separated by an interval equal to two 

 thirds the length of the snout : the first, which begins slightly 

 in advance of the vertical through the base of the pectoral, 

 consists of ten slender but well-ossified spines, of which the 

 longest (third) is barely as long as the rostro-orbital portion 

 of the head ; the second contains twenty-nine slender articu- 

 lated rays, branched at the tip and decreasing regularly in 

 length from before backwards, the longest (second) being 

 about half the length of the head. Anal equal, opposite and 

 similar to the second dorsal. Caudal symmetrically forked. 

 Pectorals slender, as long as the postorbital portion of the 

 head, all the rays branched. Ventrals thoracic, equal in length 

 to the rostro-orbital portion of the head. 



The abdomen is a great elastic sac, which extends behind 

 the normally situated vent into the tailj it contains a vast 

 collapsed stomach, which extends from its anterior to its 



