Putnam.] 344 [March 18, 



I regret that I have but a single specimen of the genus from other 

 regions for comparison, as it is impossible to distinguish the American 

 fish by description alone from the following species: 



F. acus Kaup, from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic coast of 

 Europe; F. affinis Giinther, from unknown locality; and F. caninus, 

 Giinther, from unknown locality. 



From the description and figures given by Eichardson of his 

 Oxybeles Homei, from the Island of Timor and Australia, I cannot dis- 

 tinguish any characters by which the American species can be sep- 

 arated, and if it were not that I have the opportunity of comparing 

 them with a single specimen taken from a starfish collected at the 

 Kingsmills Islands, I should be much inclined to consider the Amer- 

 ican fish the same as F. Homei. The Kingsmills specimen, however, 

 has so much larger, more numerous and more crowded teeth on the 

 jaws, and has the central vomerine teeth so much larger than in the 

 American specimens, and also has the anus slightly forward of the 

 root of the pectorals, while in the American specimens it is directly 

 under them, and is also a more slender fish with dark cross bars, that 

 I believe it to be distinct from the American species, and the same as 

 the one described by Richardson. Dr. Giinther, in his characters of 

 F. Homei, states that the gill membranes leave one half of the isthmus 

 uncovered; but the Kingsmills specimen agrees with the American 

 specimens in having the membranes united forward of the isthmus, 

 and leaving it entirely exposed. 



Fierasfer dubius sp. nov. 



Head from one-seventh to one-eighth of the total length. Depth 

 of head about one -half of its length, width about one-third. Mouth 

 extending slightly beyond the eye. With the exception of two to 

 four teeth in the front of the upper jaw, which are larger than the 

 rest in the jaw and equalling the largest teeth of the lower jaw in 

 size, the teeth in the under jaw are larger than those in the upper. 

 Vomer with from three to six large teeth forming a central row, of 

 which two or three are always much larger than the rest. Pectorals 

 about one-half the length of the head. Vent under the base of the 

 pectorals. Dorsal fin low but distinct. Anal fin much more devel- 

 oped than the dorsal, with its longest rays about in the middle of 

 the fish, where the depth of the fin is equal to about one-half the 

 depth of the body. At this portion of the fin the distant joints of 

 the rays can be distinctly seen with a good lens. A short line of 



