256 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. [Proc. 3D Ser. 



The fontanelle groove is very narrow, of nearly uniform width throughout, 

 ending abruptly at a point f diameter of eye behind posterior edge of orbit. 

 Its greatest width equals \ diameter of pupil. Axillary pore a very small 

 slit, its length | diameter of pupil. Oblique height of adipose fin greater 

 than the length of its base, which is contained 2\ times in base of dorsal fin 

 (not including rudimentary spine). Although the type is a female, the ven- 

 trals do not nearly reach front of anal. In another female of equal size, the 

 ventrals overlap front of anal. It is therefore questionable whether differ- 

 ences in length of this fin depend upon sex. In none of our specimens is 

 there present the thickened fold of integument on the inner face of the ven- 

 tral fins characteristic of females of platypogon. The paired fins are more or 

 less dusky on their inner face, but have no jet-black area on basal portion. 



The type specimen has 18 anal rays, including rudimentary rays. 



The palatine patches of teeth vary considerably in size, and are often not 

 parallel along their inner edges — a variation found also in platypogon. 



2, Nemichthys avocetta Jordan & Gilbert. 



The Pacific Snipe-eel. 



A third specimen of the Pacific Snipe-eel was taken dur- 

 ing the summer of 1898, off Waldren Island in the southern 

 part of the Gulf of Georgia, and was presented to the 

 Museum of Stanford University through the kindness of the 

 collector, Mr. W. H. Thacker of Friday Harbor, Washing- 

 ton, and of Mr. Ashdown H. Greene of Victoria, British 

 Columbia. 



It is worthy of note that the specimen was captured while 

 '* swimming on the surface of the water like a snake." In 

 this connection we recall that the type of N. avocetta, taken 

 in the harbor of Port Gamble, Washington, in 1880, was 

 said to be "extremely active in the water." The majority 

 of the known specimens of Snipe-eels have been taken 

 during trawling operations in the Atlantic, at reputed 

 depths of from 216 to 2369 fathoms (see Goode & Bean, 

 Oceanic Ichthyology, p. 152). • Some or all of these, how- 

 ever, may have entered the net on its way to the surface, 

 and have lived at more moderate depths than the figures 

 would indicate. The alternative would be, that these forms 

 can accommodate themselves to life at the surface or at any 

 depths in the oceanic basins. We are without information 

 as to the conditions under which Richardson's type of N. 

 scolofaceus was captured '* in the South Atlantic." Lowe's 



