Eatraordinary Fishes from California. 223 
maxillary is exposed at the angle of the mouth. The an- 
terior edge of that part of the snout into which the inter- 
maxillaries fit, is on a horizontal line drawn immediately 
below the orbits. The upper jaw is slightly more prominent 
than the lower, the teeth of the latter fitting within those 
of the former. In the upper jaw there are fourteen or fifteen 
teeth ; in the lower there are two or three less. They all 
are slightly swollen near the top, and are not pointed but 
rather bluntly edged. They do not extend to the angles of 
the mouth, but leave a space without teeth on each jaw. 
The teeth of the upper jaw are but little larger than those 
of the lower. The teeth of the pharyngeals are much 
shorter than those of the jaws, and form two quite moveable 
plates above, and a triangular one below. There are not 
more than thirty teeth on each of the superior plates, and 
mostly truncated at the top. The four or five teeth which 
form the inner row of each plate are more prominent than 
the others, and somewhat pointed. The teeth of the inferior 
pharyngeal plate are similar to those of the upper, but the 
teeth of its posterior range are the most prominent, and 
pointed. The lips are rather fleshy, and entirely conceal 
the teeth. Beneath the lower lip there is an elongated pit 
on each side, extending towards the corner of the mouth; it 
is covered by a thin border of the lip. The distance from 
the end of the snout to the anterior border of the orbit, is 
greater than the diameter of the latter by one-third.. The 
inferior margin of the orbit is on the middle longitudinal 
line of the body ; and its posterior border is half way between 
the end of the snout, and the posterior angle of the opercle. 
The opercular pieces are large. On the preopercle are four 
concentric rows of scales; the two inner and anterior are 
the longer. There are thirteen large scales in the row 
nearest the eye, and the number is less and less in the 
others: Still within the row nearest the eye there is a space 
without scales, and marked by pores radiating from the edge 
of the orbit. The posterior and inferior border of the pre- 
opercle, outside of the ridge of the latter, is thin, membran- 
ous, and without scales, but marked with numerous pores or 
