866 MR. W. WOODLAND ON THE [Nov. 27, 



found in the Ciolfe de Gascogne and off' the coasts of Portugal 

 and Madeiia. 



The species Centroplhoras ccdceas was first definitely established, 

 under the name of C. crepidcdbas, by the diagnosis, description, 

 and figure of Bocage and Capello ^ in 1 864. C. crepidalbus was 

 supjDosed by these authors to be possiblj^ identical (on what 

 grounds it is hard to understand) with the A canthidium calceus', 

 and later Centropliorus calceus ' of Lowe ; but in the absence of 

 figures and detailed diagnosis by Lowe, and in view of the fact 

 that Lowe identified Acanthidvmn calceus with the Centrina 

 salviani of Willughby ' described in 1686 (which latter, as is 

 indeed obvious from the figure, is certainly not C. calceus), this 

 identification is not by any means certain". However, Bocage 

 & Capello allowing the identity on Lowe's authority (at the 

 same time questioning it), the specific name calceus was reinstated 

 by Giinther " on grounds of priority. 



The more important diagnostic charactei'S of Centrojihorus 

 calceus, eis given by Giinther ', Yaillant '', and Moreau', are as 

 follows: — («) Length of animal, 0'60 m. to 1"06 m. ; (b) head 

 flattened dorso-ventrally, with snout excessively elongated, broad 

 and slendei', arid spatulate in foi'ui — a featin-e specially charactei'- 

 istic of the species, renderii:ig it therefore easy of recognition ; 

 (c) trunk elongated and prismoidal in form ; (d) colour in the 

 fresh condition an ashy grey, but much paler (nearh^ white) on 

 the ventra,] surface ; (e) the length of the bases of the two dorsal 

 fins (without spines) is nearly the same and is equal to half the 

 distance between them ; {/) the anterior extremity of the ventral 

 fins is situated below the middle of the second dorsal fin ; {g) the 

 spine of the second dorsal fin is more developed than the fii-st ; 

 (h) the lower angle of the pectoral fin is rounded and not pro- 

 duced ; (j) the skin is covered with minute pedunculated tri- 

 cuspi<l scutes, giving a velvety appearance to the skin, and 

 (^•) the teeth of the upper jaw are pointed, those of the mandible 

 being securiform with a straight edge. Vaillant (his pi. iii. fig. 1) 

 and Bocage & Capello (their fig. 2, from which my text-fig. 127 is 

 copied) give in their jiapers excellent figures of C calceus, from 

 which it may be seen that the spatulate snout forms the most 

 conspicuous feature of the animal. 



The female specimen of C. calceus, which came into my pos- 

 session in tlie spring of 1904, was caught in the Bay of Biscay, 

 and preserved in ice for two or three days until delivered at the 

 Plymouth Marine Biological Laboratoiy. The abdominal and 

 brain cavities were immediately opened (five embryos being found 

 in the oviducts), and I had the entire fish placed in strong 



1 Pi-oc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1864, p. 262, fig. 2. ' Poix. Plagiost.' p. 28, tab. 2. fig. 1. 



- Pvoc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 1839, p. 92. Trans. Zool. Soc. iii. p. 19. 



:* Proc. Zool. Soc. liond. 1843, p. 93. 



■• ' De Historia Piscium,' Lib. 3, Cap. xii. p. 58. 



■'' ' Catalogue of tbe Fishes in the British Museum,' vol. viii. 1870. 



'' Vaillant { Poissons : Expeditions Scientifiques du ' Travailleur ' et du ' Talisman.' 

 Paris, 1888) also holds this opinion. 



' ' Histoire Naturelle des Poissons de la France." Supplement. Paris, 1891. 

 ' Manuel d'lchthyologie fran^aise.' Paris, 1892. 



