68 
THE VOYAGE OE H.M.S. CHALLENGER, 
The head is somewhat like that in Lepidonotus, the base of the tentacle, however, 
l^eing slightly elevated above the base of the antennse. It presents two rounded hemi- 
sj)heres in front with a deep notch from which the base of the tentacle arises. Two 
rather large dark brown, circular eyes are situated on each side posteriorly, and two of 
an oval form and about twice the size on the rounded lateral eminence. The latter 
show a pale lenticular patch anteriorly. The tentacle springs from the elongated base 
before mentioned, is somewhat slender and translucent, and scarcely exceeds the tip of 
the palpus in length. A very distinct enlargement occurs at the tip, from which a long 
filiform process abruptly proceeds. The antennse arise from basal segments which are 
slightly beneath the foregoing, and which proceed a very little farther forward. They 
are somewhat shorter than the tentacle, and the tip is rather smaller. The tentacular 
and dorsal cirri are similar to the tentacle, the surface of all is quite smooth, and the 
tissue somewhat translucent. The contour of the dorsal cirrus is characteristic, the 
column tapering from the largely dilated base to the narrow region below the tip, which 
again is broadly clavate, with an abrupt distal extremity from which the filiform process 
sjDiings. A central opaque streak goes from base to apex. The cirri are of moderate 
length, reaching only to the tip of the ventral bristles. The palpi are comparatively short 
and conical, with a ridge superiorly and a short attenuated tip. The latter is smooth, 
but the rest of the surface has numerous lanceolate papillge with central granules, so that 
the organ appears downy under a lens. The ventral papillae are somewhat short, but 
otherwise correspond with the type. The specimen is a female laden with ova. 
Only one or two scales remained attached, but the appearance of these sufficed to 
indicate that the species is probably one of the most brilliant of the group. The scales are 
large, somewhat soft, mottled throughout the dorsal surface with madder -brown touches, 
and with a large dark brown patch over the area of attachment. Behind the latter is a 
prominent cock’s comb-like crest, directed transversely to the axis of the body, and with 
a narrower base than summit. The former extends more than half the diameter of the 
scale, while *the latter is still longer owing to the upward dilatation. The crest is 
bilobed, with a hollow in the centre, and the free margin is covered with conical 
tubercles or papillae with a globular base and a pointed chitinous summit. The sides of 
the crest are streaked with madder-brown, but the edges of the ridges are of a bright 
yellow, which stands boldly out from the fact that the pigment adjoining it is of a 
deeper brown shade than elsewhere. The coloration and the bilobed tuberculated crest 
remain with little change in the smaller posterior scales. The whole anterior area of 
the scale is dotted over with small but characteristic papillae having a globular base, 
and one, two, three, four, or more chitinous spikes on the summit like a hand-bomb 
with its detonating points. Those least armed {i.e., with one or two points) occur 
internally, those best armed are external. A few larger papillae like those on the 
bilobed crest occur near the outer border. The number of the scales is twelve. 
