304 



A. Alcock — Deacriptiom of some new or rare 



[No, 3, 



bill-shaped, witli two horizontal, advanced, serrated torns formed by the 

 prolongation of the preorbitals, and with a strong median knob. The 

 eyes, which are rather more than two-sevenths the length of the head, 

 diverge from one another behind, where they are a little more than a 

 diameter apart. The concave interorbital space is bounded by pro- 

 minent sharp supra- orbital margins, in the middle of which is a broad 

 upstanding spine with recurved tip. On each side of the origin of the 

 spinous dorsal is a sharp serrated occipital spine, as long as the eye. 

 Operculum with a transverse ridge ending. in a small spine. Preoper- 

 cnlum with two spines at its angle, one behind the other ; and three 

 dentations along its lower border. Mouth large and broad. Minute 

 teeth in jaw, palate, and vomer. 



Gill-openings wide : the brauchiostegals a good deal uncovered by 

 the operculum, in repose. Gill-rakers close-set; in form like long 

 pointed bristles. No scales. The lateral line, which consists of 16 

 close-set prominent tubes diminishing in size from before backwards, 

 extends only as far as the vertical from the 1st dorsal ray. The spinous 

 dorsal is higher than the soft ; the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th spines are the 

 strongest and highest, being rather over half the height of the head. 

 The anal rays are longer than the soft dorsal rays. The caudal is very 

 large, deeply forked, and half as long as the head. The pectoral 

 reaches as far as the base of the last anal ray ; and the first free ray 

 nearly as far. The ventral is four-fifths the length of the pectoral : 

 its spine is very strong and sharp. Colours in life : body light sea- 

 green with two irregular lines of purple-brown blotches along the 

 dorsum : head mottled with tortoise-shell, green, and blue : spinous 

 dorsal light brown, with an oval black patch extending from the third 

 to the sixth spines : soft dorsal transparent grey, traversed by an oblique 

 dark band : anal veuti'als and caudal transparent grey, the last with a 

 V-shaped dark band at its base. Pectorals mottled and blotched with 

 green, brown, orange, and yellow : their free filaments rosy red. 



Two specimens, the longer of which is l^-^ inch. 



Taken in 68 fathoms, 16 miles east of the mouth of the Devi river in 

 the Mahanaddi Delta. 



The discovery of a Prionolus in the Indian Seas is highly inter- 

 esting. 



Family MuRJiNiDiE. 

 In the same very productive 68 fathoms haul a most curious Mu- 

 resnid was obtained. In Dr. Giinther's scheme (Giinther, Cat. viii, 19- 

 20), it would come between tho Mt/rina and the OphiolUhyina, having a 

 dentition similar to some Ophichthyines, with a Myrine tail. Its most 

 peculiar character is found at the tip of the snout, where there is a boss 



