160 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST. [VOL XXXVI. 
of osteology, as giving a clue to the labyrinth of names due to the 
premature assumption of homologies between the fish skeleton and 
that of man. 
There are now few fields in zodlogy so little worked and at the 
same time so repaying as that of the comparative osteology of the 
bony fishes. Most anatomists treat the group as though all bony 
fishes were alike in their osteology. 
The paper is illustrated by plates of the skeleton of the « Striped 
Bass," the best drawing of the fish skeleton yet published. These 
are by Mrs. Chloe Lesley Starks. BEST 
Eigenmann on a New Psenes from Newport, Rhode Island. — In 
the Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission, Dr. C. H. Eigen- 
mann describes a new oceanic fish from the Gulf Stream off New- 
port, under the name of Psenes edwardsi. It was found, as is often 
the case with other nomeid fishes, under a Portuguese man of war. 
The diagnosis of the family Nomeidz is amended by Dr. Eigen- 
mann. ‘The group possesses, like the Stromateidz, denticles in the 
throat, and, according to Eigenmann, it differs only in the larger 
number of the vertebrae. But in Stromateidz, as in Nomeidz, the 
vertebra are in increased numbers, 30 to 36. I know at present no 
real difference between the two families. D. 8. . 
Eigenmann on the History of the Young Squeteague. — In the 
Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission, Dr. Eigenmann gives 
a useful study of the development of the young weakfish, or sque- 
teague, Cynoscion regalis. Ds 
Nishikawa on the Development of the Japanese Anchovy. — In 
the Journal of the Japanese Fisheries Bureau, Mr. T. Nishikawa gives 
a similar study of the development stages of the common anchovy of 
Japan, Engraulis japonicus Schlegel. By some error, Mr. Nishikawa 
accredits the name japonicus to Houttuyn. Houttuyn’s Atherina 
Japonica, however, was not an anchovy but a sardine. Dsi 
. Boulenger on the Classification of the Trachinoid Fishes. — In 
the Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Dr. G. A. Boulenger 
has a very valuable study of the osteology and relationships of the 
group of fishes called Trachinoidea. 
The family of Trachinidz was established by Dr. Günther in 1861, 
for spiny-rayed fishes, with perfect ventrals, short first dorsal, and 
lacking the special traits of other related groups. 

