374 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 



narrow. Snout convexly elevated. Eye elongate, large, ele- 

 vated and well anterior. Pupil elongate. Upper jaw projecting 

 a little. Maxillary a little past middle of eye, and its distal ex- 

 pansion equals about ^/j of horizontal orbital diameter. Bands 

 of fine teeth in jaws and on vomer. Interorbital space concave, 

 flattened medianly, and vertex also flat, bounded by low ridges. 

 Upper preopercular spine extremely long, a trifle more than hori- 

 zontal orbital diameter, extending almost to tip of opercular spine, 

 and its length more than 4 times that of small spine below. A 

 lower preopercle spine turned forward. Nasal spines strong. A 

 strong spine at upper posterior margin or orbit directed upward 

 and backward. Occipital ridges low, long, converging behind, 

 each ending in a similar spine, sharp, and directed backward. A 

 single sharp suprascapular spine. A sharp spine on shoulder- 

 girdle at tip of sharp opercular spine. Usual downward-directed 

 spines on preopercle and ,subopercle. Gill-rakers 1+9 broad 

 asperous tubercles. No cirri on head, and skin smooth. No 

 rough tubercles. Lateral line with a series of partly concealed 

 cartilaginous plates. Spinous dorsal inserted midway between 

 front rim of pupil and origin of rayed dorsal, margin of fin with 

 slight notches. Rayed dorsal entire, inserted midway between 

 middle of orbit and base of caudal. Anal a little posterior, tips 

 of radii free and insertion of fin about midway between posterior 

 margin of orbit and base of caudal. Caudal truncate, edges 

 rounded. Pectoral long, nearly to origin of anal. Ventral in- 

 serted a little nearer origin of anal than tip of mandible, and 

 reaching ^ of space to anal. Color brown with 4 obscure dark 

 cross-bars. Fins barred and mottled. Head below and belly 

 white. Length 12^ inches. Absecom. 



My examples from the above and Beesley's Point. It is a 

 coarse fish and said to be of little value as food. It may easity be 

 identified by the long strong preopercular spine. 



Acanthocottiis octodecim-spinosus Abbott, Geol. N. J., 1868, 

 p. 816. 



Cottus octodecimspinosus Bean, Bull. U. S. F. Com., VII, 1887, 



P- 137- 



Acanthocottus virginianus Baird, 9th An. Rep. Smiths. Inst., 

 1854, p. 328. 



