FAMILY, XIII— XIPHIID^E. 199 



XipMas platypterus, Shaw, Zool. iv, p. 101. 



Histiophorus Indians, Cuv. Reg. Anim. 111. Poiss. pi. 53, f. 1 ; Cuv. and Val. viii, p. 293, pi. 229 ; Jerdon, 

 M. J. L. and Sc. 1851, p. 139. 



Histiophorus Americanus, Cuv. and Val. viii, p. 303; Guichen, Cuba, p. 105. 

 Histioplwrus gladius, Gunfcher, Catal. ii, p. 513 ; Playfair, P. Z. S. 1867, p. 856. 

 Myl-meen, Tarn. ' Peacock Pish.' 



B. vii, D. 40-50/7, P. 15, V. 1-2, A. 10/7, C. 17, Vert. 14/10. 



Length of entire head 1/4, height of body 1/7 to 1/8 of the total length. Eyes — a very abrupt ascent 

 in the upper profile of the head. Snout produced and longer than the remainder of the head. Teeth — generic. 

 Fins — dorsal fin commences on the nape and is much higher to twice as high as the body in its first portion, 

 but becomes lower posteriorly, and considerably raised above its centre in young specimens. Pectoral equal 

 to 1/6 or 1/7 of the total length. First anal commences under the last fourth of the first dorsal fin : the second, 

 smaller, is below the second dorsal and similar to it. Scales — dermal productions lanceolate. Stomach 

 elongated, intestines very short not exceeding the length of the fish. Air-vessel — in the last third of the 

 abdominal cavity, consisting of two distinct lateral portions, each of which are subdivided internally into 

 numerous cavities. Ccecal-appendages — absent (Ehrenberg found them innumerable). Colours — body bluish- 

 gray, becoming dull white underneath. Dorsal fin of a bright Prussian-blue with darker spots : other 

 fins dusky. 



Habitat. — Tropical seas or their vicinity. I procured one 9 feet long at Madras, February 15, 1867, its 

 stomach contained a full-sized Scomber hanagurta, two large Hemiramphi and numerous small fish. Com m on in 

 the cold season off Madras, arriving about October and continuing until March. 



2. Histiophorus immaculatus. 



Riipp. Proc. Zool. Soc. hi, p. 116, Trans. Zool. Soc. ii, p. 71, pi. xv, and N. W. Fische, p. 42, t. xi, f. 3; 

 Giinther, Catal. ii, p. 514. 

 Yemungolah, Tamil. 



B. vii, D. 47/7, P. 16, V. 3, A. 10-11/7, C. 17. 



Length of head (including the snout) 1/3, height of body 1/10 of the total length. _Z?y&s— diameter 

 about 1/3 in the postorbital portion of the head. A very slight ascent from the snout to the base of the first 

 dorsal fin. The maxilla reaches to below the hind edge of the orbit. Teeth — generic. Fins — length of base 

 of dorsal fin about 1/3 of the total length, eleventh to the fifteenth dorsal ray the longest, and at least three 

 times higher than the body : the last few rays are low and reach to the base of the second dorsal fin. Ventral 

 elongated. Scales — dermal productions lanceolate. Lateral-line — at first makes a very strong curve, but 

 becomes straight above the hind extremity of the pectoral fin. Colours — gray, dorsal and ventral blackish. 



Sabitat. — Red Sea, and seas of India. A specimen in the Madras Museum is 5 feet 9 inches in length. 



3. Histiophorus brevirostris, Plate XLVII, fig. 3. 



? Tetrapturus Indians, Cuv. and Val. viii, p. 286. 



? Histiophorus brevirostris, Playfair, Fish. Zanz. pp. 53, 145. c. fig. 



? Histiophorus, Knox, Trans. New Zealand Inst, ii, 1870, pp. 13-16, pi. 1. 



B. vii, D. 35/7, P. 19, V. 2, A. 11/7, C. 17. 



Length of head (including the snout) 3/10, of caudal lobes 1/5, entire length of upper jaw (including 

 the snout) 2/9, height of body 1/8 of the total length. Greatest width of head equals 1/2 its depth. Eyes — 

 diameter 1/3 in the postorbital portion of the head ; a very slight ascent from the snout to the base of the first 

 dorsal fin. Snout produced, its length, beyond the anterior extremity of the lower jaw, rather above 1/3 of that 

 of the head. The maxilla reaches to rather behind the hind edge of the orbit. Teeth — generic. Fi>is — first 

 dorsal highest anteriorly where it nearly equals that of the body, the posterior rays from about the fifth are not 

 quite 1/3 of the height of the anterior : second dorsal with its last ray prolonged. Pectoral as long as the 

 bead behind the front nostril. Ventral reaches above 1/2 way to the anal and equals about 1/6 of the entire length 

 of the fish. First anal fin commences under about the 25th dorsal ray, it is highest anteriorly where it equals 

 4/5 of that of the body above it, its lower edge is very concave : second anal below but rather shorter than the 

 second dorsal, its last ray prolonged. Caudal deeply forked. Scales — dermal productions lanceolate. Lateral- 

 line — forms rather a strong curve to above the middle of the pectoral fin where it becomes straight : two keels 

 on either side of the free portion of the tail, the superior being more developed than the inferior one. Colours — 

 grayish superiorly, becoming dull beneath, tip of first dorsal and end of pectoral edged with black. 



Habitat. — ? East coast of Africa, seas of India, perhaps New Zealand, the largest specimen I saw in the 

 Madras Museum was 4 feet 4 inches in length. I have to thank Dr. Bidie for procuring me the interesting 

 specimen from which the figure has been made, it also was taken at Madras and is a little over 4 feet in length. 



H. brevirostris, Playfair, is stated to have D. 38/7, A. 12/7, and the last portion of the dorsal and the 

 ventral fins are shown as much lower, the second dorsal and both anals rather higher than in the specimen 

 described above ; still it must not be overlooked that his fish was a more adult specimen (being 10 feet 4 inches 

 in length), and in such the posteiior portion of the first dorsal has a tendency to decrease in height with age. 

 It is closely allied to Tetrapterus Lessonii, Canest. Arch. Zool. 1861, i, p. 259, pi. 7, from the Mediterranean. 



