324 Storer on the 
anterior portion of body, and more numerous towards 
the tail. Top and sides of head, snout, and anterior 
portion of underside of lower jaw marked with mod- 
erate sized spots of a deeper brown than those of 
the back. 
The specimen before me is twenty-one inches in 
length: its greatest width two and a half inches. 
On each side of top of head, two prominent bony 
ridges run directly back from posterior angle of eyes 
to occiput. At posterior angle of operculum ; at 
same angle of preoperculum; the whole lower edge 
of preopercle; the scapular bones; all seem like 
sharp points and edges concealed by the skin. The 
operculum is of a triangular form, one inch in length, 
bony beneath skin, with its posterior angle acute, 
united to the preoperculum by its anterior superior 
angle by means of a membrane.  Preoperculum 
large; its superior and posterior angles obvious to 
the touch ;—its lower edge sharp, and feeling as if 
it was divided into two ridges. Eyes circular; di- 
ameter of eye equal to half the distance between 
eyes. Nostrils tubular, situated on each side of 
snout, just at the edge of the intermaxillary bones. 
Lips fleshy ; jaws equal; numerous minute teeth 
in jaws and upon palatine bones—mouth situated 
obliquely ; lateral line straight, looking like inter- 
rupted dots. 
The Dorsal fin arises on a line above the middle 
of the pectoral fins, and is continued to, and united 
with the caudal: all its rays are spinous, strong, 
distinet, and concealed by a common membrane: 
the first few rays are shortest. 
