82 DEEP SEA FISHES. 



region niarrow, deep. Head large, half of the length from snout to base of 

 caudal, subquadrangular with sharp angles in trans-section, rather wide but 

 less deep forward ; crown wide, a transversely concave longitudinal trough 

 from snout to nape ; sides vertical, to concave about the mouth. Snout 

 half as long as the head, broadly rounded across the end, concave between 

 the nostrils, with a maxillary spine (or process) in front of each intermaxil- 

 lary below the nostrils ; chin longer, with a prominent symphyseal angle. 

 Mouth large, cleft reaching about to a vertical from the front of the orbit, 

 rising little forward, upper border formed by the premaxillje ; mandible half 

 as long as the head. Teeth small, depressible, acicular, unequal, numerous, 

 in single series on intermaxillaries and dentaries, longer on the lower 

 jaws. A short series of four pharyngeal teeth on each side. Eye sm.all, 

 lateral, in the upper one-third of the height and behind the mid length 

 of the head. Gills three, arches long, lamelte short, no gill on the first 

 arch, Plate XV., fig. 1 ; gill openings of moderate width, vertical, below 

 the carpal joints. Branchiostegal ra\'s six, Plate XV., fig. 2. A prominent 

 sharp spinelike angle below the articular ; a second below and at the 

 inner side of the first; a third, the post-orbital spine, on the top of the 

 head, prominent and sharp, at the end of the frontal ridge. Skin lax, 

 thin, investing the fins well toward the extremities of the rays, without 

 scales or asperities of any kind. 



lllicium (first dorsal spine. Plates XIII., XIV.) suprai'ostral, length 

 nearly three-fourths of that of the entire fish, reaching the base of the 

 caudal, in two subequal sections, besides a basal portion applied to the 

 top of the skull in the bottom of the trough and reaching backward to 

 the eyes, outer section with a fleshy bulb on which is a wormlike process 

 at the distal end. Possibly there are two or more processes on the bait 

 (esca). Lower articulation of the illiciuin between the nostrils, distant 

 from the end of the snout about three diameters of the eye or less than 

 half the distance between the spines on the snout. The proximal half 

 of the staff is somewhat enlarged by the muscles that move the distal 

 joint and the esca. This last is a short rather wide black fleshj^ bulb with 

 a white process toward the outer end, Plate XIII., fig. 5-7 ; though 

 appearing deep black at the sides the esca dilates or spreads out in 

 function disclosing a whitish probably luminous median portion which on 

 front and back displays a couple of eyelikc spots. The esca evidently 

 simulates the aj^pearance of certain prey, as in case oi Lojyhiomus caulinaris, 



