138 ICHTHYOLOGIA OHIENSIS 



quite straight, but raised a little upwards at the base. 



89th Species. Longbill Garfish. Lepisosteus 

 longirostris . Lepisoste longirostre. 



[75] Esox osseus. Mitchill in Amer. Monthly Maga- 

 zine, Vol. 2, page 321. 



Upper jaw longer than the lower and the head one 

 fourth of total length and narrow : body cylindrical, 

 dorsal and anal fins with 8 rays, abdominal fins with 

 6, tail unspotted nearly truncate, lateral line obsolete. 



I have only seen the head of this fish, which was 

 taken in the Muskingum. It is evidently the same 

 fish described at length by Dr. Mitchill under the old 

 Linnean name of Esox osseus and found in Lake Onei- 

 da ; although his description is very minute in some 

 respects, he has omitted to mention the colour of the 

 body, shape of the fins, and many other peculiarities. 

 I refer to his description, and shall merely add its 

 most striking discrepancies from the former species. 

 Length forty inches, upper jaw ten inches with two 

 crooked teeth at the end, lower jaw nine inches, teeth 

 of three sizes crowded on the jaws. Scales rhom- 

 boidal. Abdominal fins nearly medial. Tail with 

 12 rays, serrated above and below. 



2d Subgenus. Atractosteus. 



Body fusiform or spindle shaped, dorsal and anal 

 fins quite opposite. The name means bony spindle. 



90th Species. Alligator Garfish. Lepisosteus 

 ferox. Lepisoste feroce. 



Jaws nearly equal, as long as the head, about one 

 eighth of total length and broad : body fusiform and 

 brownish; dorsal and anal fins opposite, tail obliqual 

 oval, lateral line obsolete. 



This is a formidable fish living in the Mississippi, 



