1 86 The Ottawa Naturalist. 



very much and ends in a long whip-like tail, bearing a fin-lobe 

 above and below, near the tip. A long fin passes down the back, 

 nearly the whole length, and in front of it, immediately behind 

 the head, there rises a high first dorsal fin, triangular in shape, 

 and provided with a powerful anterior spine, curiously serrated 

 upon its front edge. The wing-like pectoral fins are a most 

 striking feature as they possess a fleshy peduncle cr arm portion, 

 and the pointed fins protrude most prominently on each side of 

 the head. When lying flat against the body they extend over 

 one-fifth of its length. A similar but much smaller pair, the 

 ventral fins, protrude some distance behind the pectoral fins. 

 Both pairs are like very flexible grey wings, resembling Indian 

 rubber in texture, semi-transparent, and supported by horny fin- 

 ra.ys. I was enabled to examine specimens of both sexes, a 

 fortunate circumstance as they differ considerably in their ex- 

 ternal characters. On the forehead of the male, between the 

 eyes, there exists a finger-like protruberance partly bent upon 

 itself, with a flattened tip, fimbriated, and studded underneath 

 with sharp denticles. This spine-covered surface fits into a soft 

 mucous depression in front. Oil a'nd mucus occur in the cavity 

 which is no doubt glandular in nature. One writer has suggested 

 that it is phosphorescent, and that the Chimaera carries a lamp 

 upon its forehead ; while Buckland fancifully compared it to a 

 crown, whence he says, the Norwegians have called the Chimsera 

 the " king fish " and also the " King of the Herrings." 



The hind part of each ventral fin forms a separate bifurcate 

 appendage, covered with a soft glandular membrane complexly 

 folded and perforated b}' a longitudinal channel. 



The male shark and skate have similar curious structures 

 but in the Chimaera they are even more complex and curious, 

 and iiBpossible to be clearly described without the aid of figures. 



The eyes are large and brilliant, unprovided with lids, and 

 show a glowing green opalescent in the living fish. The iris is 

 of a pale steel-blue colour. Buckland presaged that " the eye 

 in life must have a monstrous and fierce appearance " and 



