of the Bay of Bengal. 219 



Eje largCj circular, bulging beyond the dorsal profile of the 

 liead ; its diameter is one third the head-length as above 

 limited ; its least distance from the vertical border of the pre- 

 operculum is equal to half its diameter; supraorbital margin 

 smooth ; iiitcrorbital space anteriorly ^, posteriorly f, the 

 diameter of the eye. Mouth wide, oblique, the jaw-bones 

 thin and weak, the maxillary slightly expanded behind and 

 not reaching as far as the preopercular angle ; villiform teeth 

 developed on the vomer. Opercles large but extremely thin ; 

 the operculum and suboperculum both with membranous pro- 

 longations backwards ; the vertical border of the preoperculum 

 obliquely recurrent. 



Owing to the almost complete denudation of the integu- 

 ments the nature of the scales cannot be determined. 



The dorsal fin begins to arise nearer to the tip of the snout 

 than to the base of the caudal by a distance about equal to 

 lialf the length of its own base, and its first ray is almost in 

 the vertical through the origin of the ventrals ; the entire fin 

 is nearly one third the length of its base in advance of the 

 anal fin ; adipose dorsal well developed. The pectorals reach 

 at least behind the sixth anal ray. The ventrals are broad. 



The luminous organs have been too much damaged for 

 description ; two series, traversing the ventral half of the 

 body on each side, still remain; two long luminous organs 

 occupy respectively the mid-dorsal and mid-ventral line close 

 to the base of the caudal. 



About five large pyloric caeca ; a well-developed air-bladder. 



Colours in the fresh state: — What was left of the integu- 

 ment was jet-black, like the entire oro-pharyngeal cavity; 

 iris and antero-inferior part of opercles burnished silver, the 

 latter in the evening twilight emitting brilliant coruscations 

 of greenish-blue light. 



Total length without the caudal 3y^ inches. 



Hab. Vide Station 102. One mature female specimen. 



The shattered condition of this fish proved that it had been 

 dragged up through a a great depth of water ; and its fades 

 is typically bathybial. 



21. A third species of Scopelus^ taken from the stomach of 

 a Triyla liemisticta, must be mentioned, as it cannot be in- 

 cluded among any of the species to which I have had literary 

 access. 



Its radio-squamal formula is: — D. 11. A. 14. P. 12? 

 V. 8. L. lat. 32. 



Its eye is not quite one third the length of the head, the 

 scales are smooth and of a uniform size, the pectorals are 



