1T8 
MEGRIM. LOPHOTES. 
and three fourths in length, with the breadth of one inch and a 
half; eyes near each other, large, looking to the left, separated 
by an elevated ridge, the lowest a little in advance. Jaws 
equal, the gape wide, angle of the mouth depressed, with a 
stout mystache. Body thin, expanded just above the eyes, but 
widest at about the first third of the length backward. The 
scales large and thin, but so loosely adhering to the skin that 
they are easily separated from it, so that it is not common to 
find more than a few present. The skin also appears to be 
easily rubbed oif from the flesh. Lateral line arched at first, 
not descending beyond the level of the uppermost eye, thence 
sloping until it proceeds straight to the tail. When the skin 
is removed, a line is seen which slopes gently downward, until 
it passes onward to the tail. The dorsal fin begins in li'ont of 
the upper eye, and commonly is narrow at its origin, becoming 
wider at half its length, but in the example described several 
of the first rays were considerably lengthened into separate 
threads; pectoral fin narrow; ventrals close to the throat, and 
separate from the anal fin, the latter running parallel with the 
dorsal, and both ending short of the tail. Caudal fin rounded. 
The colour usually is pale dusky yellow, but in the present 
example a brighter yellow; border of the dorsal, anal, and 
caudal fins of a lighter colVur. 
LOPHOTES.- 
Arnoffhssus hphotes, Guhthee; Cat. Br. Museum, vol. iv, p. 417 . 
Dr. Gunther remarks, in his description of this species 
from examples formerly in possession of Mr. Yarrell, that this 
collection was entirely composed of specimens of British Fishes 
with a few species from the Mediterranean. The situations 
irom which they were obtained had been noted by him only in 
a small proportion of the specimens, and unfortunately no 
record has been preserved by him of the history of the 
specimens of this species. Nearly all the Mediterranean 
specimens are prepared in a uniformly peculiar manner, 
diflerent fiom that in which the British specimens in general, 
