602 The Zoologist — November, 1806. 



Its measurements were : — Ft. In. 



Overall . . . . . . .42 



Eye to fork . . . . . .35 



Greatest depth, at two-tliirds of the fin from origfin of pectoml 1 1 

 Depth at origin of dorsal and anal fins (in the same plane) 1 



Depth at the termination of same two fins (also in the same plane) 2f 

 Length of the same two fins, measured almig the fish 

 Breadth at widest part (just where pectoral laid flat ended) 

 Span of caudal ...... 



Depth at origin of caudal ..... 



Breadth at same place (exclusive of the carinalion) 

 Length of head (to extreme posterior of opfrculum) 

 Anterior orbit of eye to gape .... 



Diameter of eye (which was circular) 



Posterior orbit of eye lo extreme point of preopercuhim 



(which lay from the eye downwards and backwards) 2f 



Posterior orbit of eye to extreme point of operculum 'which 



lay in line with ihe lowest edge of orbit of eye) . 5^ 



Perpendicular depth of head through pupil of eye . 10 



On the same line, extreme upper ridge of head to upper 



part of orbit . . . . . . 6^ 



(Eye I^ inch) 



Lower edge of orbit to extreme ridge of the fish below it . 2J 

 Gape .• . . . , . .OH 



Perpendicular extension of mouth . . . .02 



Give these measurements lo any specimen of the " Scomber " family, 

 and you will find that you have a fish constructt-d like a heavily built 

 tunny up to the pectorals, and forward of that a fish with a remarkably 

 heavy head and rounded profile. A most remarkable feature about 

 the fish was the deficiency of fin-power. It had no fin of any strength 

 at all corresponding to its size, except the caudal, and more than that, 

 the other fins it had were all mainly aft, thus giving it of necessity 

 slight powers of locomotion. The fish was evidently a slow beast. 



The mouth was (as you will have seen) very small for so large a 

 fish. It had no teeth, but merely incisive bony processes in place of 

 them. The eye was in line with the mouth, and proportionately very 

 large. Immediately over the eye, from the upper termination of the 

 operculum, there extended forward and sloping a little upward a hard 

 ridge, which, before the fish was skinned, appeared bony, but which 

 turned out to be muscular, and which suggested the idea that possibly 

 the fish, by contracting this into the upper portion of the head (which 

 was soft and fleshy), was able to elevate or depress slightly at will the 

 actual mouth part of it. The preoperculuiu was barely detached in 



