104 JONES — ON LOPHIOID TAKEN OFF HALIFAX HARBOR. 



of these fins and finding them absent, I at once concluded that it 

 could not be placed in that genus. Finding it impossible to recog- 

 nize the specimen as belonging to any particular genus, although it 

 approached more nearly that of Lophius than any other, I thought 

 it best to communicate with Dr. Theodore Gill of Washington, 

 who is the chief authority on American fishes, and sent him a 

 sketch of the fish accompanied by the following description : — 



Characteriatics. — Head very large, high, compressed, cleft of month 

 horizontpJ and very wide. Jaws with cardiform teeth. Bodj^ naked, 

 attenuate, compressed. Head armed with stout sharp spines. Total 

 length, 2 inches 4 lines. Pectorals with carpal bones slightly prolonged 

 ventrals in advance of pectorals. 



Description — Length of head 9 lines. 



Depth 6J " 



Width ^ " 



Length of snout 4f " 



Lower jaw longer than upper, flattened beneath, shovel-shaped, as if 

 formed to rest upon, with a single row of cardiform teeth. Upper jaw, 

 with maxillaries and intermaxillaries armed with similar teeth. Tongue 

 elevated, with a few small teeth on its surface extending to the root. 

 Nasal bones armed at their extremities with two minute spines. Orbital 

 crests armed with three acute spines each occiput with two larger ones. 

 Two small spines also occur at the posterior basal angle below the 

 pectorals. Frontal, from occiput to snout, flattened with a medial ridge 

 extending from the snout a little beyond the orbital line. On the sum- 

 mit of the head is a flexile filament, 3^ lines long; at 1| lines from this 

 commences the first dorsal of three flexile rays, the first 4|, the others 

 somewhat less. These rays are connected by thin membrane for about 

 one third their extent. The second dorsal is 4 lines from the first and is 

 composed of nine rays of the nearly equal length of 3^ lines. Pectorals, 

 with carpals slightly prolonged, of nine branched rays, originating in the 

 bony cheek a short distance above the posterior basal angle, extending 

 the whole length of the body, exclusive of the caudal, and half as broad 

 as long when distended. Ventrals, of five rays, springing 6 lines from 

 extreme of low^er jaw, and 1^ lines anterior to the vertical of the 

 pectoral base. Anal, of nine rays, (5, 6, 7, longest) distant from 

 ventrals 6| lines and terminating Ij lines from caudal base ; caudal, of 

 eight rays obtusely lanceolate, the centre rays six lines in extent. Eyes, 

 1^ lines diameter, blue, having the pupil of a silvery tint ; gill openings, 

 small foramens, immediately behind the pectoral base. 



Colour. — Above, bluish-black, caused by a congregated mass of dark 

 speckles ; beneath, light horn colour, mottled more or less with similar 

 speckles ; dorsals, pectorals, ventrals, and anal bluish-black : caudal, 

 dirty white. 



