336 MR. T. EDWARD ON ARGENTINA SILTJS. 



the sides silvery. The large eye has a very bright silvery iris 

 and a bluish-black pupil. 



Another very noticeable feature of the fish was (and this took 

 the attention and excited the admiration of others as well as 

 myself) that, turn it whichever way you like, the glistening of the 

 various stripes had a most beautiful and pleasing effect, exhibiting 

 all the colours of the rainbow, the harmonious iridescence being 

 visible whether looked at from before backwards or the reverse; 

 when alive, doubtless, it may even have been more brilliant. 



One more peculiarity of the fish, and a most striking one, is 

 that, though about an inch in thickness, the flesh is so transparent 

 that you can see the vertebra? quite distinctly by holding it up to 

 the light. 



From what has already been stated concerning the mouth, no 

 one will wonder when they are told that I could only make out 

 the gape to be \ of an inch. 



On looking into the minute oral aperture, I could see that the 

 upper jaw was thickly beset with numerous small teeth, but could 

 discover none on the lower jaw. The tongue was almost covered 

 with two large strong teeth, one on each side, and curved back- 

 wards ; betwixt these there were others of a like form, but much 

 smaller. 



I may here further mention that there is a small fleshy pro- 

 tuberance or wart at the tip on the underside of the lower jaw. 



On dissection the specimen proved to be a male, but as to its 

 probable maturity I venture to offer no opinion. The milt, which 

 was of a chalky whiteness and \\ inch in length, did not seem to 

 me to be full ; it might have been partly spent. 



The stomach contained the remains of a few of the smaller 

 crustaceans, such as Darwinia compressa and Proto pedata, &c, also 

 fragments of Sertularia jilicula and Antennularia antennaria, &c. 

 This may show, or at least give, an indication that its habitat is 

 amongst the corallines, and that its small pointed-like mouth is 

 well adapted for picking off the minute zoophytes from their 

 horny stems. Its form, too, is such as to enable it to glide with 

 perfect ease, and its large eyes to see its way through amongst 

 the countless animal forests which everywhere clothe that part 

 of the ocean where it seems to live and sport. 



