210 



Dr. Richardson's Contributions to 



scapular towards the beginning of the dorsal, near the base of which 

 it runs, approaching a little nearer in its course ; when it arrives at 

 the base of the caudal, it curves suddenly downwards to pass between 

 the middle rays of the fin. Throughout its whole length short la- 

 teral branches diverge ventrad, each ending in a mucous pore. In 

 M. Lesson's specimen only the posterior termination of the lateral 

 line could be distinctly traced. The scales of the body are small and 

 of an oblong form : there are none above the lateral lines, nor on the 

 other parts enumerated as naked in the 1 Histoire des Poissons.' 



The lips are closely fringed with very short slender cirrhi just 

 visible to the naked eye. The teeth are somewhat coarsely and 

 thinly villiform at the symphyses of the jaws, the dental surfaces of 

 the limbs of the intermaxillaries being very narrow, and on the lower 

 jaw restricted laterally to a single series of teeth, which are more 

 conical than the rest. The vomerine teeth are minutely villiform, 

 being scarcely visible to the naked eye j and a cluster of three or four 

 larger ones, crowded together, exists on the fore part of the palate 

 bone, which contains no others. 



Rays: — D.— 19; A. 18; C.9J; P. 16; V. 1|5, 



It is, as Cuvier suspected, the spinous dorsal which is deficient, all 

 the rays of the existing fin being jointed ; and immediately anterior 

 to the first ray there are four obtuse points, like so many inter- 

 spinous bones pressing up the skin. 



In the dried specimen the ground-colour of the back is greenish 

 gray, darkening to black immediately round the spots, which are 

 yellowish white. The distribution of the spots corresponds with 

 Cuvier's description of them. " Uranoscopus maculosus. Habitat 

 Tolaga. Piscis superne virescenti-griseus, maculis rotundis dilute 

 et sordide flavicantibus, subtus e virescente albus. Caput supra ca- 

 vernosum, pallide e navicante et griseo nebulosum. Oculi parvi : 

 iris griseo et albido marmorata : pupilla nigra, superne et inferne 

 lobulo griseo notata. Pinna dorsalis subglauca, vitta, infra medium 

 lata, albida ; radiis supra vittam fuscis, apicibus rubicundis. Pinnae 

 pectorales extus olivacese, maculis rotundis e virescente albidis, fulvo- 

 que marmoratis ; interne obscuriores, basi colore pectoris ; margines 

 anteriores et posteriores albidas. Pinnae ventrales et pinna analis co- 

 lore pectoris. Pinna caudalis e rubicundo grisescens, fascia ante 

 medium interrupts, lata, sordide ex albido virescens : margo posticus 

 rubescit." (Solander.) 



Mr. Hamilton's specimen measures eight inches, being smaller 

 than either Forster's or Lesson's. 



Polynemus plebeius [Br ous sonnet) , Plebeian Polyneme. 



Polynemus plebeius, Brousson. Ichth. Bl. Schn., p. 17. Cuv. & Val. hi. 

 p. 380. 



No. 38. Lieut. Emery's drawings. 



This species probably inhabits all parts of the Indian and 

 Polynesian seas. It has been taken in the Red Sea, at the 

 Mauritius, Pondicherry, Java, Tanna and Otaheite. Lieut. 

 Emery's drawing was made from a specimen taken on the 



