356 BONES OF LOPHIUS PISCATOKIUS — MORROW. 



posteriorly, their anterior faces lying against the posterior edge of 

 their anterior neural spine, while their superior extremities rise 

 above their posterior neural spine. The first ray of the second 

 dorsal is supported by the superior posterior extremity of the first 

 interneural spine, and the anterior face or angle of the second, and 

 so on until the twelfth, which is sustained by the posterior extre- 

 mity of the twelfth interneural spine, slightly in advance of the 

 posterior extremity of the twenty-fourth centrum ; this last in- 

 terneural spine is attached by its posterior extremity to the neural 

 spine of the twenty-fourth centrum. The fin rays of the second 

 dorsal, increase in length from the first to the sixth, and then 

 decrease to the twelfth ray. 



71. The caudal fin contains eight soft rays, the centre two of 

 which are the longest, and about of equal length ; the upper and 

 lower rays, also of about equal length, are the shortest, and the 

 fin when spread, presents at its posterior extremity a rounded 

 outline. The two divisions of the upper ray on their superior 

 edges, as well as those of the lower, ray on their inferior edges, 

 unite, and form each an angular edge, but that of the upper ray 

 is much the stronger. 



83. The anal fin and interhsemal spines. 



79. The interhsemal spines of the anal fin, are ten in number ; 

 the first lies between the fifteenth and sixteenth, and the last 

 two or ninth and tenth, between the twenty-third and twenty- 

 fourth hsemal spines, that is both on the twenty-fourth centrum. 

 The fish described has eleven anal rays, the first of which articu- 

 lates with the anterior ed^e or anode of the first interhsemal 

 spine ; the second with the anterior angle of the second inter- 

 hgemal, and is also supported by the posterior extremity of the 

 first, and thus they continue to the tenth ; the eleventh fin ray is 

 attached to the posterior extremity of the tenth interhsemal 

 spine, immediately beneath the centre of the twenty-fifth cen- 

 trum. The rays of the anal fin increase in length to , and in- 

 cluding the seventh, and decrease slightly to the eleventh. In 

 most specimens, the Lophius presents in the anal fin only ten 

 rays ; in these the first interhsemal spine may be inserted between 

 the fourteenth and fifteenth, or between the fifteenth and six- 



