The Zoologist — February, 1866. 103 



and the water about ten to twelve fathoms deep. The place is in a 

 strong tideway, and is a very favourite fishing-ground for small fish. 



As the fish is a rare one in British seas, I trouble you with a 

 somewhat detailed description. 



Its dimensions were as follows : — 



Length over all . . . . • , 



„ from eye to origin (or insertion) of caudal fin . 

 Greatest girth, immediately before origin of pectoral fins 

 Girth, immediately behind the after ends of the pectorals 



laid flat and backwards .... 

 Girth, immediately before origin of first dorsal 

 Greatest depth (about the middle of the pectoral fins laid 



flat and backwards) .... 



Greatest breadth (at same place) 

 Gape, with loose fleshy substances on either side of it in 



the angles of the jaws . ,. . . „ 9 „ 



The teeth were peculiar and bicuspidate, as described by Yarrell 

 (ed. 1836, Suppl. to vol. ii. p. 59), large and placed in one single row 

 on the extreme outside edge of each jaw. There was no tongue, but 

 close inside the teeth of the lower jaw there was a semidetached mem- 

 brane, under which on each side of the jaw, but not in front, there 

 were teeth partly developed. There were similar teeth on each side, 

 but again not in front, of the upper jaw, but there was not, or I failed 

 to detect, any similar membrane. The upper jaw was considerably 

 projectile : when I saw the fish, which was about ten hours after its 

 capture, it was capable of easy protrusion to the extent of about two 

 inches. The lower jaw was fixed. The eyes were large, and round 

 rather than oblong, and the pupil was perpendicularly oblong and of 

 a peculiar mother-of-pearl light green hue when the fish was brought 

 to me. 



The lateral line was very conspicuous, of a light colour, running 

 parallel to the back throughout the entire length of the fish down to 

 the very extremity of the upper lobe of the caudal fin. It was slightly 

 raised and rough, but free from spines. 



The position and shape of the fins aud tail were as shown in 

 Yariell's Supplement (see above), p. 56, and in Couch's 'British 

 Fishes,' vol. i. p. 54, and were, especially as to the anal and 

 caudal fins, very unlike Yarrell's figure, Supplement, p. 54. Its 

 shape, however, as will be seen from the measurements above 

 given, was much more like that of the figure in Yarrell's 

 Supplement, p. 54. It had in no way the appearance of a 



