THE DISCOBOLI. 71 



le nombre des rayons ; la dorsale commence un peu avant l'extremite de la 

 pectorale, mais en tous cas, en arriere de sa base, l'origine de l'anale est 

 encore plus reculee. Les pectorales, qui ne comptent pas plus de vingt 

 rayons, se prolongent fort en avant sous la gorge, arrivant au contact l'une 

 de l'autre ; il n'y a pas de rayons inferieurs isoles et prolonges ; l'ex- 

 tremite de cette nageoire est loin d'atteindre l'anale. Le disque ventral 

 parait tres peu plus large que long, 5 mm, 7 sur 5 mm, 3, encore faut-il 

 tenir compte de la mollesse de cet organe, dont le liquide conservateur a pu 

 alterer la forme. La couleur etait sur le frais d'un gris rose ou blanchatre, 

 lave d'une teinte legere sepia sur la tete et a la base des pectorales." 



Two specimens were secured from a depth of 28 meters. The measure- 

 ments given show the total length to be 42 mm., the height or thickness 13, 

 the length of head 10, of snout 3.5, of eye 2, and the width of interorbital 

 space 6 mm. 



CAREPROCTUS. 



This genus and Liparis are brought very close together by Careproctus 

 major. The simple form of tooth in the one case and the tricuspid form 

 in the other were formerly considered sufficiently distinctive for separating 

 these genera. Liitken, 1887, pointed out that the young of the mentioned 

 species has the tricuspid teeth of Liparis, and that with age it acquires 

 the simple teeth of Careproctus. It is possible that a similar change takes 

 place in the other species we have brought together in the latter. Indeed, 

 assuming derivation from species of Liparis of the shoal waters, it is just 

 what we should expect in all these Careprocti of the deep sea. 



Besides the dentition, other features may be selected that in comparisons 

 may serve to distinguish this genus from the preceding : the head is higher 

 at the back ; the body is deeper in front of the dorsal fin ; the caudal region 

 is longer, more slender and tapering ; the vertebrae are more numerous ; 

 the dorsal and anal fins have more rays, and are more completely fused 

 with the caudal ; the disk is reduced in size ; the suborbital process is less 

 developed ; and apparently the intestine is shorter. Among these differ- 

 ences there is none that may not be a consequence of the modifying influ- 

 ences of great depths upon species of Liparis such as now exist along 

 the coasts. 



While we have no direct evidence of distribution of Careproctus south 



