FAMILY SCOMBRID^ — CORYPH^NA. 133 



of the total length. Height of tlie head at the nape to its length, as 9 to 7. The upper part 

 of the head strongly compressed, trenchant, and becoming wider at the extremity of the 

 upper jaw. The facial line ascends in front almost vertically, being slightly concave above 

 the jaw for the distance of about two inches. Scales deeply imbedded on the body and pre- 

 opercle, and extend high up on the caudal fin : they have the same form and variety of con- 

 figuration as in the Lampugus hereafter described, and differ from tliem only in being much 

 larger ; those on the base of the tail are, however, much larger in this species. The lateral 

 line commences as usual, first slightly descending, almost immediately ascending, and forming 

 a small curve above the pectorals, and then proceeds in a slightly wavering line through the 

 centre of the body to the tail. Nostrils double, contiguous ; the posterior largest, and both 

 above the superior margin of the orbit ; they are rather nearer to the jaw, than to a point ver 

 tical to the centre of the eye. Eyes large; diameter of the orbit, 1 '2; its lower margin 

 distant 3'5 from the gill rays beneath, and 4' 5 from the crest of the nap>e. Lower jaw 

 slightly advanced, and both furnished with small conic recurved teeth arranged in cards ; on 

 the anterior part of the jaw, the external series largest ; similar teeth on the vomer, palatines 

 and tongue. 



The dorsal fin commences directly over the eye ; the first four rays are short ; the seventh 

 and eighth longest, and rather more than half the depth of the body at the pectorals, or to be 

 more exact, the highest ray is 5*5 long ; from this ray, it diminishes almost imperceptibly to 

 the tail. The whole length of this fin is 28 "0, and it comprises sixty-three rays. The anal 

 fin commences under tiie fortietli dorsal ray ; the two first ra3's are short, the third and fourtli 

 longest : this fin terminates a short distance beyond the end of the dorsal, and contains 

 twenty-nine rays, the highest of which are two and a half inches long. Pectoral fins small, 

 acute, falciform, with twenty-one rays, the longest of which is five and a half inches long. 

 Ventral fins similar to the last in shape and size, with a connecting membrane at the base, 

 attached to the whole length of the last ray : this fin is situated behind the pectorals, with 

 very much flattened and robust rays. Caudal fin deeply forked, and composed of nineteen 

 complete rays, and six or seven accessories on each side ; its longest rays exceed nine inches, 

 and the margin terminates in filaments like baleen or whalebone. 



Color. I have little to say in regard to the color of this species. It has been described to 

 me as similar to the appearance exhibited in the figure. 



Length, 45 '0. Depth at the pectorals, 9'0. 

 Fin rays, D. 63 ; P. 21 ; V. 7 ; A. 29 ; C. 19 -f . 



This beautiful species was captured off the harbor of New- York, and presented to the 

 Lyceum of Natural History in 182-. It was treated by Dr. Mitchill as the C. hippuris, noticed 

 in his memoir on the fishes of New-York. It is obviously distinct from the hippuris, but 

 bears a general resemblance to the S. sueri of Cuvier and Valenciennes. The slight indica- 

 tions given by the authors of that species are, however, insufficient to establish their identity. 

 The proportional height and length of the dorsal leads me to suppose that they are specifically 



