NOTES ON FISHES FKOM WESTERN AUSTRALIA — WAITE. 213 
of the orbit. Opercles entire, with one flat jagged spine. Post- 
temporal and clavicular plates very pronounced. 
Teeth . — These consist of a bony lamella in each jaw, with median 
division, as in Tetrodon; the lamella is translucent, and the sum- 
mit of each tooth can be traced in its substance, the whole forming 
a regular diagonal mosaic. As the teeth are successively pushed 
to the margin of the lamella, their crowns become free and they 
then form a sub- imbricate series, each crown being grey, tipped 
with black. These peculiarities are more noticeable in the lower 
than in the upper jaw. Behind the anterior series is a group of 
rounded teeth, white in colour; within the upper lateral series are 
a few isolated teeth, similar in colour and form to those in the 
lamella}. 
Dorsal spines very strong, compressed, increasing in height to 
the seventh, which is exactly half the length of the head, and 
higher than the rays ; the last spine nearly equals the fourth in 
length; the basal length of the spinous is nearly twice that of the 
soft portion. The anal spines are rather stronger than those of 
the dorsal, the third somewhat exceeds the second in length, and 
is 2 6 in the length of the head, and equals the fourth dorsal; the 
rays are similar to those of the rayed dorsal. The fourth upper 
ray of the pectoral is the longest, it is rather longer than the 
ventral, and is contained 1*7 times in the length of the head. The 
ventral spine is similar to the longest dorsal in character and 
extent, and the fin all but reaches the vent. The caudal is 
emarginate, the upper lobe slightly the longer ; the least height of 
the pedicle is one-third the length of the head. The spinous por- 
tions of the dorsal and anal fins are received into a deep groove, 
and the soft portions are scaly at the bases, as is also the caudal. 
Scales — small, finely ctenoid or ciliate, those on the opercules 
freer and of more angular contour than those of the body. Upper 
part of head, snout, maxilla, mandible, and two or three elongate 
areas above and behind the eye naked, otherwise scaly. 
Colours — Yellowish or brownish, which may in life have been 
pink. The fins are dusky and without markings, excepting the 
dorsal and anal, which are blotched, as below described. The 
markings on the body are five broad black vertical bars. The first 
passes from the top of the head, through the eye, and down the 
cheek. The second arises in »ad vance of the dorsal fin, involving 
the first two spines, thence across the base of the pectoral. The 
next bar passes from the 7-10 dorsal spines to the vent. The 
fourth connects the dorsal and anal rays, forming a black blotch 
on each fin, and continued backwards along the base of the anal 
rays ; while the fifth, which is narrower, passes across the base of 
the caudal pedicel. All the bars are inclined obliquely backwards 
and are narrower towards the ventral surface. 
