408 MR. J. Y. JOHNSON ON NEW GENERA OF [NoV. 10, 



ruary. It was a female with eggs, which lay in two masses side by 

 side, 5 J inches long, uncovered with a sac. The csecal stomach was 

 small, and contained nothing but a little much-digested matter. 

 There were twelve small pyloric cseca, which increased in length 

 backwards. The air-bladder had a delicate silvery coat, and was 

 5 inches long. The liver had a length of 1^ inch. The intestine 

 was straight. The peritoneum was black anteriorly ; posteriorly 

 there were patches of black lines on a pale ground. 



The following are the dimensions of the specimen, which is now 

 in the British Museum : — 



inches. 



Total length 18,^ 



Height between dorsal and ventral 1 ^^o 



Head 2 Je 



Eye, longer axis, nearly g 



, distance from tip of snout ^ 



Eyes, distance apart 2^ 



Dorsal, length of base -^ 



, height 1:^ 



, distance from snout 5|^ 



Pectorals, length 1 1 



, width of base \ 



, distance from snout 2\ 



Ventrals, length 1 



, distance from snout 4 A 



Vent, distance from snout 1\ 



Anal, height of fourth and the neighbouring rays . 



Caudal, two rays ^ 



This species is dedicated to Professor Richard Owen, Superin- 

 tendent of the Natural History Departments of the British Museum, 

 whose investigations in regard to the skeleton of fishes are not the 

 least valuable part of his many contributions to zoological science. 



Chiasmodon, gen. nov. 



Body naked, elongate, with two perfect dorsal fins, one anal fin, 

 simple thoracic ventral fins, and distinct caudal fin. Head unarmed 

 and exappendiculate. Snout short, truncate. Cleft of the mouth 

 very long, extending much beyond the eyes. Acute teeth in two 

 series in the premaxillary and the mandible, those of the inner series 

 being moveable. Hooked teeth, and teeth that cross each other 

 from opposite sides of the mouth in the upper jaw. Teeth on the 

 palatines, but not on the vomer. Eyes lateral. Gill-openings large; 

 four pairs of gills. Seven branchiostegal rays. No pseudobranchise : 

 no anal papilla. An air-bladder. 



Chiasmodon niger, sp. n. 



1st D. 11. 2nd D. 13 A. 17. P. 12. V. 6. C. 14. M.B. 7. 



Body black, naked, moderately elongate, compressed, and slender. 

 Head unarmed, thick, subcubical, depressed, with a wide groove 



