92 Proceedings of the Roi/al Irkh Academy. 



of Ireland, were found to be, in general, after the Gadoids^ the best 

 represented family, botli in numbers of species and in actual abundance, 

 and its aim is to give an account of the local distribution of the species 

 met with, accompanied by brief descriptions sufficient for identification. 

 The outline figures wliich are included in the paper have been taken with 

 some modifications from published figures or have, in a few instances, been 

 drawn from Helga specimens ; tliey are intended merely as aids to the recogni- 

 tion of the species. The plate of Lycoims bracJit/colus has been specially drawn 

 by Mr. J. Grreeu from the specimen in the British Museum. Several of the 

 species here included have already been dealt with very fully by ilr. Uolt 

 and Mr. W. L. Calderwood-(189o) in their account of the deep-sea fishes 

 taken in the Eoyal Dublin Society's Fishery Survey of 1890-91, to which 

 reference should be made for a more det-ailed description than can be given 

 here. 



The Ma«riu-ids are not at present fished for commercially, and from that 

 point of view it is not likely that they will ever be of much importance, as 

 they seldom reach a large size, and, furnished as they are with a large head 

 and a slender tail, the proportion of food to waste is small ; though with 

 suitable cooking, as experiments made on board the Hclga have shown, they 

 are just as palatable as many other fishes common!}' exposed for sale. Their 

 numbers, however, entitle them to close investigation, as playing a large part 

 in the balance of life, either as consumers of the available food or as food for 

 other fishes, in a region in which commercial trawlers are continually 

 extending their operations. 



The classification proposed by Gilbert and Hubbs (1916) in their revision 

 of tliis family has been followed in this paper. Their re-arrangement of 

 species has entailed the inclusion of the type species of the two genera 

 Moxrurus and Coryphaenuidcs in a single genus : and as, Corypliaenoides is the 

 earlier name, it takes the place of the better known, though rather vaguely 

 defined, Macnirus. 



The Coryphaenoididae, better known under the now obsolete name 

 Macruridae, are Anacanthini, distinguished externally by the anterior po-sition 

 of the ventral fins, below the pectorals, a protrusible mouth which is anterior 

 or inferior, an elongate tapered body with dorsal and anal fins continued 

 backwards to meet posteriorly, the anterior portion of the dorsal being usually 

 separated from the rest, and ventrals with 7-12 rays. 



The scales are sometimes smooth and cycloid, but moxe usually armed 

 with strong or numerous spines, which furnish well-marked specific charactei-s. 



The family has a world-wide distribution, but individual species seem to 

 have a fairly restricted range, considering the uniform conditions under which 



