142 
LARGER LAUNCE. 
by Nilsson as known along the coasts of Scandinavia, and it is 
also met with, as we have seen, in the Mediterranean; but it is 
not mentioned by Lowe among the fishes of Madeira, although 
it is reported as having been obtained on the coasts of America 
The usual length of this species is about a foot, but th( 
measure assigned by Jago to the specimen of which he has 
given a figure, was almost sixteen inches, and an example of 
that full length is preserved in the British Museum. Its general 
form is lengthened, and only a little compressed at the sides; 
the shape continuing uniformly from the head for about three 
fourths of the length, but becoming gi-adually more slender 
towards the tail. The head in front of the eye tends to a 
point, which when the mouth is shut ends in the lower jaw, 
where there is a projecting cartilage by which this fish is able 
to pierce its way into the sand. The gape is wide, and is 
rendered the more so by the faculty it possesses of lifting the 
upper jaw into a right angle with the front of the skull. The 
mystache is mde and reaches far back, but scarcely to the 
front border of the eye. No teeth in the jaws, but there are 
some in front of the palate. Several specks like perforations on 
the head. Eyes conspicuous; the gill covers project backward 
above the root of the pectoral fins. There are five longitudinal 
lines on each side, one of which is near the back; another is 
the true lateral line, and is marked with the insertion of muscles; 
and three are on the belly, of which two appear to unite at 
the vent. This orifice is about two thirds of the whole length 
from the snout, excluding the caudal fin. There arc no scales, 
but the skin is marked with oblique transverse folds, which, 
according to Dr. Gunther, are one hundred and seventy in 
number. Pectoral fin moderate and low down; the dorsal begins 
a little behind the termination of the pectoral, and passes at an 
uniform height to a little short of the tail; as does the anal 
from near the vent. Tail concave with rounded borders. Colour 
of the top of the head and back, down the sides to the true 
lateral line blue; tail bluish: all below, with the checks, brilli- 
ant white; dorsal and anal fins pale white. At the root of the 
tail, during life, there is a circulating vessel, which appears to 
have some connection with the faculty of burying in the sand, 
since something of the same nature is perceptible in other fishes 
which are endued with a similar propensity. 
