45 



head ; and one and a-half in snout. G-eneral form oval, rather 

 high. The upper parts of the head without scales ; the lower 

 jaw longer than the upper one ; mouth extensible ; prseoperculum 

 rather finely serrated ; operculum equally serrated on its 

 posterior edge, rounded at its angle ; the spines becoming gra- 

 dually stronger ; those on the inferior edge larger, equal, and 

 obliquely directed forward. In some specimens, the spines of 

 the angle and the inferior ones are bifid, and there is some- 

 times an interval between them. The operculum is terminated 

 by two spines ; the lower one much longer than the other. The 

 lateral line is sometimes rather sinuous. The first dorsal is 

 formed of a first short spine, a second generally twice its length, 

 a third much longer still, and the fourth the longest of all ; 

 the second dorsal has a rather strong and long spine, and the 

 rays are large, the first being the longest, and the others 

 decreasing as they extend backwards ; caudal emarginated, with 

 the lobes rather rounded ; the anal with three rather slender 

 spines, the first the shortest, and the third the longest ; the rays 

 have the same form as those of the anal ; the spine of the ven- 

 trals is strong and short. The colour is silvery, with the back and 

 upper parts of the head of a dark blue ; dorsal and caudal 

 blackish ; ventrals and pectorals of a dark greenish grey ; anal 

 of a light grey. 



This fish is not very common, and only appears now and then 

 in the Melbourne market. 



Nota. — The dried specimens are very much like those of 

 Lates Colonorum, but the body is higher ; the denticulations of the 

 prseorbital are proportionately finer, those of the prseoperculum 

 rather stronger on the posterior edge, and become longer in a 

 more equal way. The colours are different, and the flesh of this 

 sort is considered very savoury. It also becomes much larger? 

 and generally attains about 16 inches. 



LATES VICTORIA. 



This sort is so very nearly allied to Antarcticus that I con- 

 sidered it, at first, as belonging to that species. It is only dis- 

 tinguished by the second spine of the operculum, which is 

 formed of a bunch of spines, numbering four, and of which the two 

 central ones are the largest. The lateral line has two very strong 



