OF THE UNITED STATES. 133 



by the very small pectoral fins placed very high, and 

 near the opercula. I he depth of the head was more 

 than twice the diameter of the eye. The ventral 

 fins very small, approaching the anal, and situated a 

 little more towards the head than the dorsal, all of 

 them of the same form, a little elevated anteriorly 

 and somewhat lower posteriorly; The tail is long 

 and narrow, terminated by a lunulated fin. The 

 lateral line was scarcely apparent. The upper and 

 lower maxillar bones were furnished with small 

 teeth, the upper maxillar the shortest, placed in a 

 groove formed by the junction of the two inferior, 

 and leaving a space betwixt them towards the angle 

 of the mouth. 



The back was blue, the sides silvery and blueisb, 

 and the abdomen argenteous. 



P. 13— D 11.— A. 12.— V. 6.— A 15 



The individual here noticed, 1 found in the sto- 

 mach of a fresh codfish which had been brought to 

 Boston from the Bank of Newfoundland ; it was still 

 fresh, and had no appearance of putrefaction. Per- 

 haps it might be referred to the Scombresoces Cam- 

 perien, but that this has much longer jaws, a forked 

 tail, and the pectoral fins placed over the middle of the 

 opercula, which forms the distinctive mark between 

 the Sc. camperii and the present species. 



Another individual discovered by Peron and my- 

 self, bears also a considerable affinity to the Sc. 

 camperii, in the form of the body and the jaws ; but 

 a distinctive character presents itself in the 6th and 



