flSitES— WAITK. 117 



Fifteen !;ill i';iJ<('i's on I lie lowci- juiii n( llic (irsL ■•Lr<'li, ;ill siiiidl, 

 the anterior ones nearly obsolete. The sncjut and (jcuiput are 

 concave, the interorhital space; flat, witli a shallow gnjovc;. The 

 cleft of the mouth is nc^arly horizontal, the maxilla extends to 

 between the nostrils, which are wholly nearer th(! eye than the 

 end ot the snout. Lower jaw the loni^cu-. Tlu; preopercle is 

 produced backwards at the angle and moderately serrat(;d. 



Teeth conical, in a broad patch at the front of each jaw, th(jse 

 on the sides in a narrow band, tuljerculate ; the anterior tticth 

 rather lai'ge, deflected outwards ; palate, vomer and tongue 

 edentulous. The symphysis of the lower jaw very acute. 



The snout is concave, thence the profile rises abruptly to the 

 dorsal spines and reaches its highest point at the base of the 

 second and third, whence by a low curve it reaches the caudal. 

 The lower profile forms a moderately convex curve. 



The first dorsal spine arises above the mai'gin of the preopercle 

 and is rather small, the second is four-fifths and the third twice 

 the diameter of the eye ; the next four spines are lengthened : 

 the fourth spine is the longest, one and a half times the length 

 of the head, the fifth somewhat shorter, and the sixth and seventh 

 still more so. The rays take up the decreasing length in regular 

 sequence, the last being equal to the second spine. 



The anal commences beneath the eighth dorsal ray, and of the 

 two spines the first is smaller than the first dorsal and the second 

 rather longer than the third. The rays are a little longer than 

 the posterior portion of the soft dorsal and the fin terminates 

 slightly in advance of the dorsal. 



The ventral is long, reaching to the second anal ray, and some- 

 what longer than the head, to which the spine is equal : the 

 pectoral is short and does not reach the anal : the caudal is 

 slightly emarginate. 



Scales. — The scales are very small, ctenoid and adherent. Cheeks 

 and two small patches behind the upper part of the eye scaly, the 

 remaining portions of the head naked and sculptured. The 

 lateral line rises from the opercle to a point below the fifth dorsal 

 spine, whence at some distance from the dorsal it takes a rather 

 wavy course to the caudal pedicel, where it becomes horizontal and 

 terminates in advance of the caudal rays. 



Colour. — Grey with black markings; the head and the 

 elevation above dark ; from the third dorsal spine a black band 

 arises and is directed obliquely backwards and downwards, bifur- 

 cating a broader portion reaches the space between the ventral 

 and the anal, while a smaller limb passes indistinctly to the 

 hinder part of the anal. Another band originates below the 



