Ayres's Description of a New Genus of Fishes. — 51 
fourth, which are the longest, are about an inch and a half, 
but their tips are slightly broken, and it is not possible to tell 
which of the two was the longer. The bases of the pec- 
torals are half an inch from each other. 
The ventrals, which are of the same height as the pectorals, 
and nearly as slender, are situated a very little posterior to a 
point equidistant from the muzzle and the tip of the caudal. 
They consist of six rays, of which the outermost is the short- 
est, being only a quarter of an inch in length. The second, 
third, and fourth are the longest, and for more than half their 
length are free. 
.The dorsal and anal are situated at the posterior extremity 
of the body, opposite to each other. "The origin of the dor- 
sal is a very little in advance of that of the anal, and its ter- 
mination as much so. "Their form is entirely similar. "The 
first rays are short, and are succeeded by others increasing in 
length ; at the middle they attain the same height in each fin, 
(six-tenths of an inch,) and then decrease more abruptly to 
the termination. The rays are somewhat mutilated, but the 
numbers appear to have been nineteen in the dorsal, and 
twenty in the anal. Behind these fins the body is contracted 
very abruptly, till its vertical diameter is only one-tenth of an 
inch. . The length of this slender portion, which extends to 
the caudal fin, is four-tenths of an inch. 
The caudal is so much mutilated that its form cannot well 
be ascertained. It appears to have been rounded, and to 
have consisted of about twelve rays, which were more 
branched than those of the other fins. — * 
The skeleton of this fish is most remarkable, and though, 
unfortunately, we have it not in our power to make a thorough 
investigation, yet such results as we can obtain will be given. 
One of its most striking peculiarities is, that the entire osseous 
System is in a very low state of development. All of the 
bones are quite soft. From this fact the generic name is 
derived. Through the vertebra even a needle can be passed 
without difficulty, the resistance being about the same as in 
JOURNAL B. S. N. H. SEPT. 1849. 
