1910.] AND INVERTEBRATES OF ST. HELENA. 93 



GWgromuryEna mellissii. (Plate IV. fig. 1.) 



Congromurcena mellissii Giinther, B. M. Oat. Fishes, viii. p. 42 ; 

 Melliss. 



The Silver Eel, Melliss. 

 . I obtained one specimen of this species, which was caught on a 

 bottom line from a boat moored off Egg Island in about 35 fms. ; 

 it was 18 inches long, of uniform yellowish grey colour. This 

 species is peculiar to St. Helena, and only a single specimen of it, 

 presented by Melliss, was in the National Collection until mine 

 was added. 



MuRiENA SANCT.E HELENA. (Plate IV. fig. 2.) 



Ilurcena sanctm helence, Giinther, B. M. Oat. Fishes, viii. p. 115 ; 

 Melliss. 



The Bird's-eye Conger, Melliss. 



I bought a specimen of this species in the market. It was 

 34 inches long ; it has speckled markings on a chocolate ground, 

 each mark being a group of white dots. It was a female nearly 

 ripe, the eggs .about 1 mm. in diameter, opaque, without oil 

 globules, with thick vitelline membrane. On the inner surface of 

 the peritoneum were oval white bodies apparently of parasitic 

 nature. Giinther gives the length of the head as f- that of the 

 trunk, which means the length from the gill-opening to the anus ; 

 if we take the length from snout to anus, the head is contained in 

 this 3| times. The markings in Melliss' specimen which is in 

 the Museum are larger and more conspicuous than in mine. The 

 long teeth are hinged so as to bend down flat inwards and 

 posteriorly. 



Melliss states that this species is peculiar to the island, but 

 there is now in the Museum a specimen from the Bermudas and 

 another received from the Smithsonian Institution. The Madeira 

 form Murcena anatina is similar but distinct. 



MlTR^ENA UNICOLOR. 



Murcenophis unicolor De la Roche, Ann. Mus. xiii. 1809, p. 359 

 fig. 15. 



Murcena unicolor Risso, Ichth. Nice, p. 368 ; Giinther, B. M. 

 Cat. Fishes, viii. p. 125; Melliss. 



The Brown Eel or Grig, Melliss. 



My specimen of this species was also bought in the market. It 

 is 31 inches long. It agrees with Giinther's description except 

 that he does not mention the vertical ascent of the forehead 

 above the eyes ; the top of the head forms a hemispherical en- 

 largement which is continued behind into a very thick neck, while 

 the snout is pointed and narrow. There is a narrow edging 

 of yellow round the vertical fins posteriorly from the anus and 

 the opposite dorsal point to the caudal extremity. When the 

 specimen was handled I noticed a liquid running from it which 



