BORKK. 
411 
compressed. On the anterior portion of the body an appearance 
of rings; breadth (or depth) near the tail six eighths of an inch. 
Ajrerture of the mouth perpendicularly oval, with short rather 
thick tendrils, (a particular description of which will be copied 
from Eskstrom.) A single projecting hooked tooth above; what 
are described by writers as lingual teeth appear to me to be 
pharyngeal; in two nearly half-moon-shaped beds; in two rows 
of sharp teeth, the outermost or convex row largest, and the 
uppermost tooth in each row bifid; no mark of an eye. There 
is no fill on the back until near the tail; a raised ibid at the 
belly, beginning at five inches and a half from the head, and 
becoming wider as it passes on, it joins the dorsal to form the 
tail, as in the Conger; but without rays, and resembling the 
fins of the Lamprey, except that it is much thicker. Two 
small openings, which communicate with the breathing organs 
near each other at four inches from the snout, close on the 
belly to where the abdominal fold begins. The mucous orifices 
so conspicuous in the figure given in Ekstrom’s plate, could 
not be discerned in our example; which may be accounted for 
by the action of the diluted spirit in which it had been 
immersed. The colour brown, with a tinge of pink on the 
back, yellowish on the sides, pale along the abdominal line. 
The figure given by Ekstiom is more brightly coloured, and 
also much more slender than ours; in which it resembles that 
of Mr. Yarrell, whereas our own bears a nearer resemblance to 
that of Pennant; but we believe that the difiference is only the 
effect of the difference of age, and perhaps of feeding. Ekstrom 
says the usual length is about a foot, slender, plump, round 
on the fore part, compressed behind, without scales, the skin 
tough, loose on the body, when alive somewhat pellucid, and 
plentifully covered with slime; the head to be distinguished 
only by having the mouth and nose; snout subconical, rather 
blunt, flat below; the mouth resembling a rounded opening, 
which closes in folds, without distinct lips. There are eight 
short barbs ranged round the opening of the mouth, four of 
which are placed so as to form a square at the point of the 
snout, and directed upward; two also on each side of the mouth, 
the lower pair the shortest, but all directed upward. The caudal 
fin lower on the fore part, and then wide, below reaching 
forward to the vent, which is at the last eighth portion of the 
