BONES OF LOPHIUS PISCATORIUS — MORROW. 341 



centre, it is attached to the parietals by suture, its anterior end 

 by fibro-cartilage to the posterior extremities of the frontals, and 

 it carries upon it the isolated ray of the first dorsal fin, together 

 with its equivalent interspinous ray. It is a " wormian " bone. 



7. The parietals — this fish, having no median crest, unite ; 

 near their posterior extremities they have each a small, so-called, 

 spine, and are joined to the supraoccipital. 



C. Immediately beneath the parietals, and extending from 

 their anterior extremities, posteriorly, a little more than half 

 their length, also supported by the exoccipitals, and extending 

 transversely, united by a serrated suture directly under the sut- 

 ure of the parietals, are a pair of bones which would seem to 

 serve in the Lophius the same purpose as the otoliths in the Cod 

 fish ; they are separated from the parietals in the dried skull by 

 a delicate membrane, and on their superior surfaces are smooth 

 and somewhat conical, having in each, on their outer margin, a 

 deep angular depression ; on their inferior surfaces they are 

 rough and cancellated, and from the centre of their posterior 

 margins a bar runs across each obliquely outwards to the lower 

 margin of the depression which appears on their superior 

 surfaces ; this bar is perforated by a foramen of considerable 

 size. I have not been able to obtain a fresh specimen of this fish 

 in time to make a further examination of these bones. 



8. The supra-occipital appears to be anomalous ; it takes its 

 rise from, and is anchylosed with, the neurapophyses of the 

 Atlas, which together with it forms the very large foramen 

 magnum, at the same time it forms, almost perpendicularly, 

 a semi-circular cover to the upper posterior part of the skull, as 

 you may see by reference to the skeleton. 



9. The paroccipitals project nearly at right angles to the 

 skull, for the peculiar attachment of the supraclavicles ; looked at 

 upon their under surfaces they are arrow-shaped, the longer 

 blade of the arrow being on the outside, the shorter on the top 

 of the skull. 



10. The exoccipitals are very similar in shape to those in the 

 Cod, but are each perforated by two comparatively large fora- 

 mina of equal size. 



