Fishes observed at Nice, 1 865.. 243 



white fleshy clasper divided into two lobes at the point. The 

 pectoral fins are large, oblong, obtusely pointed, thick and 

 fleshy, with a large reddish disc at the base ; the rest of the 

 fin is membranous, and of a brownish grey colour. At the 

 base of each of these fins is a narrow, longish opening to 

 the gills, which is single, and not several, as in the sharks. 

 The lateral line is elevated, pale, with a darker fine on each 

 side. It arises from a little beyond the back of the eyes, 

 is curved up towards the first dorsal fin, but soon descends 

 again, and is then continued in a nearly straight line to the end 

 of the second dorsal fin, where it is curved down to the lower 

 edge of the caudal fin, where the lateral hues of each side are 

 united together, and from this point it is continued as one line 

 along the slender tail. From the commencement of the lateral 

 line at the back of the eye two other branches start, one to the 

 top of the head, which soon becomes divided into two, one 

 branch going over the head to join the lateral line on the 

 opposite side, the other runs along the top of the eye to the 

 snout ; the other branch from the back of the eye takes a 

 downward direction along the lower edge of the orbit, and 

 takes a zigzag course over the cheeks to the snout, and be- 

 comes joined to one which is carried down the front of the 

 snout ; other branches are sent off to the gill openings and 

 each of the lips : along the whole course of these lines it has 

 numerous small round openings, which appear to be the ducts 

 for the distribution of a secreted mucous. 



The common name of chat (cat), by which this fish is 

 known by the fishermen at Nice, was given to it from the 

 noise like the mewing of a cat which it makes when taken out 

 of the water. The flesh is white, soft, and glutinous, and has 

 not an agreeable flavour, so that it is not used as an article of 

 food, but it is caught for the very large liver with which it is 

 furnished, and the limpid oil which they extract from it, which 

 they burn in their lamps, as it gives a very brilliant light. 

 It, however, has a disagreeable odour — a quality which the 

 fishermen do not appear to think very objectionable. It has 

 the reputation, like the oil extracted from the liver of some 

 other fishes, of being a valuable remedy in the cure of rheu- 

 matism, especially when rubbed over the swollen and painful 

 joints. 



Kg. 1 is a lateral view of the entire fish. 



Fig. 2, part of the skull, showing, a, the upper teeth; 

 b, the lower teeth ; c, the lower jaw ; d, the upper jaw and 

 orbit. 



Another species, which inhabits the deep marine valleys of 

 the Mediterranean, is the Al&pocephalus, Basso. Its generic 

 characters are — body ovate oblong, compressed, covered with 



