APPENDIX. 



397 



During my residence in Sicily, a single example of a fish 

 closely allied to, if not the same as, the Cepedianus of Cuvier, 

 was captured off Monte Pelegrino, in 1815, by some fisher- 

 men, who considered it such a curiosity, that it was presented 

 to the king. His majesty caused a painting to be made of it, 

 a copy of which, in water colours, executed by the same artist, 

 is now in my possession. My friend Rafinesque, who saw the 

 fish itself, and through whom this drawing was procured, 

 assured me of its accuracy. A greatly reduced outline is here 

 annexed. 



Thefirstdorsalray, or, rather, horn-like process, iSyMketheitof Cepedianus, 

 somewhat three-sided, but the tip is not truncated, but pointed'; the dorsal 

 fin is narrower, and tlie rays much more distant from each other ; so much 

 so, indeed, that the drawing expresses not more than 120, whereas tho^ 

 in L. Cepedianus are stated to be 230. The caudal fin, in the Sicilian fish, 

 isobliqueft*, with only seven rays ; in theother this fin is ovatelv rounded a, 

 and the rays are seventeen. The colour of both seems to be much the 

 same, and therefore, under these circumstances, although I venture to 

 distinguish the Sicilian fish by a different name, it is merely until further 

 observations determine the point at issue. It was entirely unknown to all 

 the Palermitan fishermen, and measured 5^ palms in length, by 1^ in 

 breadth ; the weight was 14 rotola, and the length of the horn 1§ palm, 

 Sicilian mea.sure. 



There is an old stuflfed specimen of a I.ophotes in the British Museum, 

 but too much injured to be of any service in throwing light upon this 

 question. 



CEPOLA ruhescens. 



Caudal fin lanceolate^ of equal length with the head, 

 and of eleven rays ; first and second dorsal ray not 

 approximating ; ventral fin immediately under the 

 pectoral. 



In the British Museum. 



It is not surprising that the descriptions left us by Lin- 



* This form, as well as the truncated end of the horn in Cuvier's figure, 

 may probably have originated from accident. 



