THE DISCOBOLI. 79 



D. 48± ; A. 48± ; P. 15 + 12 or 13. 



Body thick, subcylindrical anteriorly, rapidly tapering to the tail ; depth 

 or length of head one fourth of total, without caudal. Skin thick, lax. 

 Head swollen at the nape ; depth one sixth of body length ; width little 

 greater, twice that of disk ; length two and a half times the interorbital 

 distance. Snout broad, about one fourth as long as head. Mouth-cleft 

 not reaching a vertical from orbit; upper jaw the longer. Eye lateral, 

 not interfering with upper profile, about one fourth of head. Nostril near 

 the eye. From snout to first dorsal ray one third, and from snout to first 

 anal ray about two fifths of the length of the body. Origin of anal below 

 eighth ray of dorsal. Disk slightly longer than its distance from the snout, 

 or than its width. Color uniform, whitish. 



Hub. — Off Halifax Harbor, in 52 fathoms. Known from the descrip- 

 tion of Goode and Bean. 



From particulars given by Professor Collett we take the following. 



Body translucent, jelly-like ; skin lax, viscid ; teeth simple ; ventral disk 

 very small, situated far forward, almost hidden by the anterior portions 

 of the pectorals ; vent near the disk, about midway from snout to anal ; 

 tail long, slender, tapering to a point, caudal continuous with dorsal and 

 anal ; fin-rays soft, slender ; pectorals semicircular, below the head, begin- 

 ning far in front and close together near the symphysis of the lower jaw, 

 first eight or ten rays projecting, larger median portion with short ones, 

 upper elongate ; eyes comparatively large, more than one fourth as long 

 as the head, which latter is one fourth to one fifth of the total length. 

 Only one pair of nostrils was detected, and they were not prolonged in 

 tubes. 



Color pale reddish gray, or whitish ; no bands or marks. 



An Arctic and deep-sea form, descending to seven hundred fathoms. 



The localities given are Greenland, Jan Mnyen, and Beeren Eiland. 



If we are correct in supposing the Liparididae to have originated in the 

 North, and thence to have been distributed through the depths to the far 

 South, it is Careproctus rather than Liparis we should have expected to meet 

 with in the Antarctic regions. There is, however, a possibility that one 

 or more of what have been taken for species of Liparis from the southern 

 localities may yet prove to be founded on young individuals of species of 

 Careproctus. 



