DRUMMOND'S ECniODON. 231 



herents a la pointe de I'os hyoide," and the latter " manquent de bar- 

 billons, et leur dorsale est si mince, qu'elle ne semble qu'un leger rcpli 

 de la peau." 



In external characters — for the specimen being, so far as known to me, 

 unique, I have been unwilling to injure its appearance by dissection — it 

 is excluded from the Ophidia proper, in consequence of not having the 

 barbules ; and though agreeing with the FierafiJ'crs in the negative cha- 

 racter of wanting these appendages, yet, by having the dorsal fin strongly 

 developed and elevated, it ranges not with them. 



Its want of the verj obvious cliaracter of the Ophidia renders all 

 comparison with them unnecessary ; but of two species belonging to the 

 Ficra^fers, and Avhich approach the present specimen most nearly, I may 

 state, that it possesses many of the characters of the Oph. Jicrasfer of 

 Kisso, but differs from that species in the teeth (both jaws are described 

 as armed with three rows of sharp and hooked teeth), number of fin-rays, 

 and some minor characters ; besides, there is nothing said of the remark- 

 able teeth terminating both jaws, as exhibited in my specimen. In the 

 Kogne Animal we again find an Oph. dcnUdum described as having in 

 each jaw " deux dents en crochets," but no further details are given. In 

 this only character, however, the Ojili. doifafuin differs from my fish, 

 Avhich has four large hooked teeth in the upper, and two in the under, jaw. 



The specimen under consideration was found dead on the beach at 

 Carnlough near Glenarm, in the County of Antrim, by my friend Dr. J. 

 L. Drummond, when collecting A1(/(p there in the month of June, 1!S3(), 

 and, along with some othev Jinlics, &c., obtained about the same time, was 

 kindly handed over to me on his return to Belfast. Dr. Drummond in- 

 forms me, that from its appearance when found it had most probably 

 been cast ashore by the tide of the preceding night, when a strong easter- 

 ly wind prevailed. 



Genus EciiiODON. 



Corpus valdc elongatum, complanatum et lanceolatum. 



Caput ovale ; rostrum mediocriter ])roductum ; o.s- sub-oblique fissum ; 

 maxiUce dentibus armatae sicut ossa palatina vomerque ; dentcs duo 

 utrinquc apud maxilla; supcrioris apicem magni et pra^longi ; tiiaxil/a 

 inferior utrinque dente unico cylindraceo terminata; apertura bran- 

 chialis magna ; opcrcuhini satis amplum. 



Piiiiia' dorsales et anales valdo producta?. 



ylnus anteriora versus j^ositus. 



EciiioDON Drummondii. 

 Tab. XXXVIII. 



Fch. corpus Iceve ; maxiUcc amhee, vomer, ossaque palatina deutihus parvis 

 obtusiusculis dense armatce ; maxilla superior lonr/ior, cujus denies ex- 

 tenii o?-e clauso conspicui ; vomer admodum promiuens antrorsuvKpic 

 valde produefus ; lingua hrevissinia ; pinnee dorsales analesque cum cau- 

 dali continual, et postice corpore mulfo altiores ; j»inna analis ante dor- 

 salem exoriens ; radii pinnales nulli ramosi ; memhrana branchiostct/a 

 sepfeni radiida. 



Total length 11 inches; greatest dejit!! (at 1 inch 1 lines from the 

 snout) (5 lines, thence posteriorly gradually narrowing; greatest breadth 

 of body anteriorly .'5 lines ; at the middle of the entire length 1 line, and 

 thence to the tail becoming gradually more comjirosscd. 



