Farran — Seventh Report on the'^Fish'es af the Irish A tlantic Slope. 103 



this ill a marked degree, the dorsal profile rising in a strongly convex curve 

 from above the eye to, the first dorsal fin, producing the hump-backed 

 appearance shown in Giglioli's figure of C. mediteTra7bevs:{GooAQ and Bean, 

 1895). In the Irish specimen, the lengtli of head was 8-7 cm., and the 

 height of the body was '94 of that length. That this is a developmental and 

 not a specific character is shown by the capture of a second example, length 

 Df head 7'4: cm., in which the dorsal profile is much lower, the height 

 of the body being only "88 of the length of the head, though not so low as in 

 the specimen figured by Giinther, length of head 65 cm., in which the 

 height of body, is '83 of the length of head. In C. mediterraneus the 

 hump-backed stage is reached at a much smaller size, 21-5 to 23'5 cm., with 

 length ofh'ead,"4-5 to 5, cm. 



Descriptio?i.:-^—Snoi\t broad and blunt, not much produced. A slightly 

 convex, blunt median rostral ridge from between the eyes meets the lateral 

 rostral ridges at the tip of tlie snout. These ridges are covered with a 

 thickened flesliy skin, with numerous pores, which is also continued round 

 the nostrils and along the suborbital region. The remainder of the head is 

 covered with scales similar to those on the body, but with less well-marked 

 ridges. A row of very small, isolated scales, each with a comb-like ridge, or 

 crest, runs horizontally across the snout, and a very irregular, narrow band 

 of similar scales is to be found beneath the orbit. These minute scales are 

 deeply imbedded in the fleshy skin, and persist after the other scales have 

 been rubbed off. Eye small, almost circular, or slightly higher than 

 wide, diameter one-fifth to one-sixth of leiigth of head. Mouth lateral, 

 subterminal, with broad, fleshy lips. Cleft of mouth extending to beyond 

 the centre of the eye. Dentition in upper jaw heterodont, with an inner 

 band of fine villiform teeth and an outer row of sharp, widely spaced teeth, 

 about twelve or\ each side, diminishing slightly from front to rear. Teeth in 

 lower jaw in a single row, similar to the outer row of the upper jaw, but 

 slightly smaller. Barbel well developed, considerably longer than the 

 diameter of the eye. Interorbital space wide, equal to the distance between 

 the eye and tip of snout. Body only slightly compressed, increasing in 

 height with age, covered with moderately large scales (PI. VII, fig. 3) witli 

 numerous minute low spinules arranged in from five to ten slightly radiating 

 ridges. There may be as many as nine spinules in each ridge. In Giinther's 

 description the ridges are said to be crenulated, but an examination ■ of the 

 type specimen in the British Afuseum shows that they are in reality raised 

 into minute backward- directed spines. Scales, in transverse series, seven 

 or eight above the lateral line, and about eighteen or nineteen below. In 

 the sinaller Hdga specimen all the body scales are missing, except for a few 



