87 



are "not, in their opinion, B. vulgaris," being " much more slender 

 for the same or equal length." 



Scomberesox Saurus, Cuv. 



The Portuguese name " Delphine" (rectius " Delfm",) is errone- 

 ously appended to this fish. Another individual has been lately 

 brought to me with the name of " Almeirao," but the species is far 

 too rare to have obtained any permanent and genuine appellation in 

 Madeira. 



Fam. Salmonid.e. 



SCOPELUS MADERENSIS. 



A small dark mulberry-coloured fish, which might easily be taken 

 for the fry or young of Pomatomus telescopus, Risso. Tlae dark vi- 

 nous-coloured gi-ound is concealed by very large deciduous platina- 

 like scales. The only individual which has yet occurred was three 

 inches long. It approaches very near to Sc. Humboldti, Risso, Hist, 

 iii. 467. (supposed to be identical with Pennant's Argentine, Yar. 11. 

 94.), and has the row of longer silver dots, or pits, extending forwards 

 from the root of the caudal fin along the ventral line : but it disagi-ees 

 remarkably with the generic characters assigned to Scopelus by Cu- 

 vier, R. An. 2nd Ed. ii. 314, in having both the palatines and tongue 

 aculeate with teeth. 



The fin -formula in the Madeiran fish was 



1st, D. 3-1-10; 2nd, D. 1 club- or feather-shaped; 



A.2-H2;P.13;V.l+7;C./^+/+^-^r " 



Gen. Alysia. 



Corpus subelongatum, compressum ; dorso postice ventreque spinoso- 

 serratis. Rostrum brevissimum, ore rictuque magnis, hoc pone 

 oculos diducto. Dentes minuti, tenues ; in maxilla inferiore, Vo- 

 mere, et Palatinis scobinati. Lingua postice lateribus subacu- 

 leolata. 



Squama magnae, hand deciduae, scabrse ; squamis lineae lateralis la- 

 tissimis, maximis, scutellatis, s. per totam longitudinem loricato- 

 imbricatis. 



Pinna ventrales sub apice pinnarum pectoralium sitae. Dor sales 

 duae ; prima inter Ventrales et Analem posita ; 2'*" ad finem 

 analis, rudimentali. Pinna caudalis minima, furcata. 



Alysia loricata. 



The spinoso-serrate ventral and hinder part of the dorsal lines, 

 together with the peculiar scales of the lateral line, appear to forbid 

 the blending of this interesting little fish M-ith the Cuvierian genus 

 Aulopus, as defined in the R. Anim., Ed. 2. ii. 315, though they have 

 many characters in common. The Maderan fish is no less rare than 

 elegant. It scarcely exceeds two inches in length. The back is a 

 deep blue ; the sides bright silvery or platina ; and a row of dead- 

 silver dots or pits extends along the ventral line, as in the Scopelus 

 above described. The fin-formula is 



