Fishes. 6987 



tral, which is sufficient to show that it was composed of two consistent 

 bony rays, which probably extended some distance from the body and 

 must have formed a powerful engine of direction. The pectorals were 

 almost entirely destroyed, although the base of the right pectoral was 

 sufficiently complete to enable me to state that it contained twelve 

 spines. Anal and caudal fins absent. 



Head truncated, compressed ; facial outline of a dark colour. 



Mouth so damaged as not to be positively determinable as regards 

 form and appearance, but from the portions of jaw still remaining I 

 should pronounce it malacostomous. 



Eyes fourteen lines in diameter, slightly depressed. Irides three 

 and a half lines in width, of a bright silver, encircling pupils of a 

 somewhat oval shape, and, in colour, a light transparent blue. 



Stomach : intestinal chamber, extending from beneath the gills to 

 the anal extremity, five feet. Unfortunately this chamber had been 

 opened and its contents partially injured before I saw the specimen, 

 but a large proportion of milt, intestine, &c., has been preserved, 

 including the major portion of the swimming bladder, which for so 

 large a fish may be considered small. Its colour a bright scarlet. 

 This swimming bladder contained a large amount of oily matter, and 

 a piece thrown on the ruffled surface of the water immediately stilled 

 the agitation. 



Gill-rays eight in number, four to a side, crimson, flabellate ; the 

 anterior pairs furnished with double rows of flabels, having the inter- 

 nals white, and armed on their inner sides with minute dark-like 

 appendages. 



Gill-covers bony, radiate, not entirely covering the gills. 



Teeth : no appearance of any. 



In concluding the above description, I must not omit to state that 

 it was a male fish, and from the extremely fragile nature of its various 

 parts, I may venture to express an opinion that it had by no means 

 attained maturity. I may also remark that my measurements were 

 taken twenty-two hours after death, during which time it had lain ex- 

 posed on the rocky shore. 



This genus of acanthopterygious fishes is of a form so thin and flat, 

 in proportion to its length, as to have obtained among the ancient 

 ichthyologists the name of " riband fish." Although several species 

 are known to Science, yet they are all of diminutive size in compari- 

 son with the individual now obtained ; Gymnetrus Hawkenii, G. 

 Banksii and G. Glesne are occasionally found in the British seas. 



So little appears to be known of this singular tribe of fishes that. 



