205 



lower profile is more convex than the upper one. The snout 

 is produced; the dorsal spine is rather slender, short, and 

 straight ; it is contained once and one-fifth in the transverse 

 diameter of the eye ; it is inserted over the centre of the 

 orbit, straight, or rather bent forwards, compressed, and quad- 

 rangular, the edges being equidistant, and armed with rather 

 short barbels, directed downwards ; there is no appearance of a 

 short second ray. The second dorsal has thirty-four rays ; the 

 anal twenty-seven ; the caudal is long, of twelve rays ; the pec- 

 torals of thirteen ; no ventral spine ; the body is covered with 

 very minute granulations, which become spinous on the tail. 

 The four large anterior teeth are almost square. 



The upper parts of the body are of a dark green, and the lower 

 ones white ; the whole is covered with very irregular black spots, 

 particularly numerous on the sides ; fins of a light greenish 

 colour. 



I have only seen a single specimen in the "month of May ; it 

 was not quite three inches long. 



It is not impossible that this should be Balistes Scaber, 

 Eorster, (Bl. Sheen., p. 477) ; it evidently comes near Peronii, but 

 its form is exactly like the one of Alutarius Paragaudatus, as 

 represented by Eichardson, " Erebus and Terror, Eishes," p. 66, 

 pi. 39. (Spilomelanurus, Quoy and Graim.) 



MONACANTHTJS PBASINTTS. 



This comes in the division characterised by — " anal fin with 

 less than forty rays ; the front ones much closer together than 

 the hinder series," which constitutes, for Dr. Bleeker, his genus 

 PseudomonacantJius ; the anterior profile is almost straight, the pos- 

 terior one rather convex ; the lower profile is regularly arched, 

 when the pubic bone is not extended ; the dorsal spine is inserted 

 over the posterior third of the orbit ; it is arched, and carries very 

 strong barbs directed downwards ; the back ones are much larger 

 than the others ; this spine is twice and a quarter as long as the 

 diameter of the orbit, and is very strong ; the inner ray is about one- 

 third of the spine ; the second dorsal has thirty-five and the anal 

 thirty -four rays ; the pectorals thirteen ; the ventral spine is fixed 

 and formed of a small net of spinelets, three of which, on each side, 

 are much larger than the others, and curved ; the height of the 



