160 ADDITIONS TO THE FAUNA OF CORNWALL. 



The patches of the cnist of the body were of a pale pink or dirty- 

 white tint ; inside of the mouth purplish or dark mulberry-red. 

 In none of these particulars did it resemble our fish. 



Remarks on the Skeleton of Ausonia Cuvieri. — By Albert G-unther, 

 M.A., M.D., PLD., F.Z.S. 



Several years ago, when on a visit at Frankfort to examine 

 typical specimens of the Senckenbergian Museum, my attention 

 was directed to a skeleton of Ausonia Cuvieri, perhaps the only 

 osteological example of this fish existing in a Museum of Natural 

 History, for which, as for most of its zoological treasures, Frank- 

 fort is indebted to the indefatigable zeal of Eiippell. Not only 

 did Dr. EUppell allow me to make notes from the specimen, but 

 gave me, besides, a drawing of the skeleton, which is reproduced 

 in the accompanying woodcut, and his notes on the splanchnology. 

 The latter, however, do not contain anything not previously ob- 

 served in Nardo's memoir " De Proctostego." 



As I am not aware that any notice of the osteology of this 

 unexpected visitor to the British seas has been published, I think 

 it right not to pass by this occasion of apjpencling my notes to the 

 preceding paper of Mr. Couch. 



I infer, from the feeble development of the whole osseous 

 structure, and particularly from the relatively small quantity of 

 inorganic substance, that Ausonia is a deep-sea fish, inhabiting not 

 that deeper zone in which Plagyodus (^teller,^Alepidosaurus, Lowe) 

 and other carnivorous fishes live, and where a vegetable-eater, such 

 as Ausonia evidently is, could not subsist, but a zone at a depth 

 of perhaps a hundred fathoms, perhaj)s in company with Centro- 

 lophus and Pomatomus.''^ % 



The configuration of the bones of the skull will be seen from 

 the accompanying figure. The prefrontal is elongate, straight, ex- 

 tending from the upper margin of the orbit to the extremity of 

 the snout, where it terminates in a slight swelling which is the 



* Dr. Euppell has also presented to the Senckeuhergian Museum a 

 skeleton of Poviatomus telesco^pium ; it has 13/13 vertebras. 



