140 
ICHTHYOLOGY 
about equal, and longer than the others ; the fifth, sixth, and 
seventh grow shorter, and the others are about equal, and not 
much more than one-half the height of the longest ; the 
caudal is deeply forked ; the anal has three slender spines ; 
the first of which is very short and the third the longest of 
all ; the soft rays are seven in number ; the colour is silvery, 
with the i\pper parts rather blue ; the fins yellow. 
Nota. — vln none of the numerous specimens I have seen 
does the prseorbital form the short spine visible on each side, 
on some of the specimens of G. Melbournensis. I believe 
this to be Ovatus of Dr. Gunther ; it is immediately distin- 
guishable from Melbournensis, by the height of the anterior 
part of its dorsal. 
CNIDOGLANIS BOSTOCKII. 
Head very broad and depressed, its length being a little 
over five times in the total length of the fish ; barbels rather 
short, the maxillary ones extending a little behind the eye, 
but those of the nostril only attaining the centre of these 
organs ; lower lip broad, very thick, rather pendant and 
lobed ; the lips are covered with large papillae ; the teeth are 
rather small rounded at the end, and form in front at each 
jaw two small bunches, each of two or three teeth ; at the 
lower jaw there is also an interior row more numerous but of 
the same form ; the vomerine teeth are large, molar-like, and 
disposed in a triangular way ; the eyes are about one-seventh 
of the length of the head ; the skin of the body is trans- 
versely riddled ; the first dorsal is not prolongated, but 
rounded at its extremity, and formed of a strong barbed spine 
and of five rays ; the large fin which forms the dorsal, caudal, 
and anal united, has about two hundred and twenty rays ; the 
ventrals ten. 
The colour is, after having been in the liquor, of a black, 
becoming rather brown on the lower parts. 
I have seen two specimens, both about twenty-one inches 
long. 
This sort must be very nearly allied to Plotosus Megastomus 
of Richardson {Ereb. and Terror, Fishes, p. 31, pi. 21), and 
