14 ON THE GENUS TETRAGONURUS OF RISSO, 



Comparing first our Mediterranean specimen with the above 

 description, we find the following differences, which great as they 

 may appear, must be judged, as before mentioned, in a great 

 measure by the size of the individual example. 



The length of the head is five and three-quarters, tlie height of 

 the body* seven and two-thirds in the total length. The eye is 

 small, situated entirely in front of the middle of the head, and its 

 diameter is five and one-third in the length of the head, and but 

 three-fifths of that of the snout. The interorbital space has no 

 longitudinal ridge, but the bony knob on the occiput is present. 

 The breadth of the body is five-eighths of its height. There are 

 thirty-six maxillary, and fifty-three mandibulary teeth in each 

 rajnus. The other teeth are veiy much the same except that the 

 vomerine band does not extend so far back as those on the ])alatine 

 bones, and on both all the teeth rise from the same level. The 

 dorsal fin commences at a consideraVjle distance behind the pec- 

 toral, and, on the twenty-first series of lateral line scales, the 

 distance between its origin and the tip of the snout being con- 

 tained three and a-third times in the total length; as might he 

 expected the longest spine is equal to the diameter of the eye. 

 The first dorsal ray ris»is from the fifty-sixth series of lateral line 

 scales, the last from the seventy-fourth, its distance from the root 

 of the caudal being considerably more than the length of the head; 

 the longest ray is three-fifths of the height of the body below it. 

 The ventral fin commences far behind the base of the pectoral, 

 and is much longer than the eye. The pectoral fin is but half the 

 length of the head, and eleven and two-thirds in the total length, 

 the caudal oue-ninth of the same. The breadth of the free 

 portion of the tail is three-fourths of its height. The lateral line 

 consists of one hundred and twenty-two scales. 



If we now compare this latter short description with Dr. 

 Giinther's description of a ^Mediterranean example — undoubtedly 

 of the same species as ours — we find the head and eyes in his 



* In all cases the measurements of this fish have been taken at the 

 corresponding spot to that specified in the earlier de.scription. 



