&TZ¥m ON THE HALIBUT.. 21 



The eyes both on the right side, iiides silvery with bronze streaks, the right' 

 orbit smaller than the left, the eye itself apparently smaller, and raised above 

 the orbit, being guarded by a skin on the upper edge like those in the frog, 

 and nearly touching the intermasillar bones forming the lips. The left orbit 

 larger The left eye larger, and at least one diameter of orbit from the nose, 

 and sunk deeper in the orbit. The nostrils double the second tubular, the 

 right nearly midway between the orbit, the left in a line of posterior edge of 

 left eye. The upper lip is divided by a deep sulcus from the nose, and is- 

 formed by the intermaxillar and maxillar bones, the maxillar fitting as in the 

 ood into a groove. The lower lips are longer than the upper, with also a deep 

 line passing around them ; both the upper and lower are fleshy. The line of 

 pre-opercle is roundish, posterior edge of opercle commencing with a round 

 turn, ends in a sharp point, the apex of which is opposite insertion of pectoral. - 

 The upper and lower jaws and opercles though differing in colour will be found on- 

 careful inspection symmetrical. The ventral fins inserted about their length from 

 gills very small, six rayed. The left a little smaller than rights The pectoral 

 tins small ovate, fifteen rays, counting the first short one, the third the 

 longest, the right pectoral about one-fourth larger than the left. The dorsal 

 fin commences in line with the left eye. The first twenty-four rays when closed- 

 fitting in a sulcus along the back. The rays each tipped with a soft point, 

 commence small and gradually increase to a little beyond the half of the 

 length of the fish, then diminish grahially, and end nearly at insertion of 

 caudal. It contains about one hundred rays. The anal fin commences about 

 double the length of the ventral fins from gills, and has the same general 

 arrangement of rays as the dorsal, and ends opposite to it, having the same - 

 soft tips to each ray, which are about seventy-four in number. The caudal 

 has seventeen and four short ones, and is crescent shaped The general shape 

 of the fish is a long round angled rhomboid. The vent being in front of the- 

 insertion of anal, whicii is only double the length of the very small ventral 

 from the gills ; it necessarily follows that the whole capacity for stomach and: 

 intestines, is scarcely a fifth of the whole fish. The upper or right side and- 

 part of the head and opercles are covered by scales so minute that thoy appear 

 more like marks iu the mucus thickly covering the skin ; a raised line of scales 

 on the right si-e commences immediately behind the opercle, arches rapidly 

 on the pectoral and runs straight to tail in a line with the vertebra, and on the 

 left side there is a faint white line corresponding to it. In the upper jaw there 

 is a double irregular row of large and small sharp pointed teeth, pointing, 

 downwards ; in the lov;er jaw a single row, in this and many other specimens, 

 but from its irregularity I have no doubt that DeKay is right in giving a double - 

 row in the description of his. The colour of the right or upper side is dark 

 brownish ash, of the lower pure white. That of the dorsal, anal caudal, right 

 ventral and right pectoral is the same, but the left ventral and pectoral have 

 both sides pure white. The lower or under edge of the jaw is covered with 

 minute black dots. In saying the right eye protruded beyond the orbit more 

 than the left, I meant it as studying the dead fish only ; but having noticed 

 it so often I cannot forbear mentioning it In the living fish I have no doubt 

 both eyes protrude like those of the frog, and are protected by a thickened 

 coat of the sclerotic membrane. 



Branch rays 6-7, D. 100, P. 15, V. 6, A. 75, C. 17i 



In studying this fish we find as it were an ordinary lish, 



