total length, but in some the abdomen is rather inflated ; the snout 
is long, slender, and nearly equal in all its length, except at its 
extremity, where it is strongly turned upwards ; from the end of 
the snout to the anterior edge of the eye, the distance is equal 
to that between the posterior edge of that organ and the end of 
the third segment of the body ; the head is contained a little 
over six times in the total length, and the snout about ten times 
in the same ; it is one and one-third longer than the remainder of 
the head, and has some longitudinal ridges on its upper part. 
Seen from the upper surface, the posterior edges of the snout 
form on each side a point over the anterior edge of the eye, 
which is deeply sunken ; the mouth is directed upwards ; the 
operculum has a longitudinal ridge running rather obliquely ; 
dorsal very long ; no caudal ; the pectorals are very short ; I 
cannot distinguish any anal, and I find at its place the long cuta- 
neous egg pouch in the males, and nothing in the others ; but as 
all authors say they have one, it is likely that it exists, 
though I could not discern it. The anal is below the 
eighteenth segment of the body. I only find forty- two or 
forty-three body-rings, but those of the posterior part of 
the tail are so exceedingly minute as to leave some doubt in 
this respect ; the body is depressed below, which gives 
its section a triangular appearance; the body-ridges extend, on a 
straight line, to the extremity of the tail ; the shields are finely 
punctured, and perpendicularly striated; the tail terminates 
generally in a fine point, but in some specimens it is rather 
blunt ; the operculum qrresents no ridge. 
Colour of a light green ; the snout generally bears faint traces 
of transverse bands rather darker than the ground colour ; the 
whole body is covered with very minute red dots ; the edge of the 
rings are rather dark ; in some specimens the longitudinal ridges 
are of an orange red colour ; eyes green, strewed with black. 
I have seen numerous specimens, caught in Tebruary with 
shrimps ; their length varies from two to near four inches. 
Nota. — Though this description does not in all points 
correspond to Nigra, I believe that my specimens belong to 
that sort. 
