from the bone. The cleft of the mouth extends backwards to the 
front of the preorbitar bone, and is equal to the distance between the 
corner of the mouth and the eye. 
The preorbitar is covered with smooth skin, presenting an even 
surface in the recent fish, but in the skeleton it presents three deep 
notches anteriorly, separated by linear processes. The rest of the 
suborbitar chain is narrow. The upper limb of the preoperculum is 
finely serrated, the serratures disappearing on the rounded angle. 
The disk of that bone, the other opercular pieces, the cheeks, 
temples and suprascapulars are scaly, but there are no scales on the 
limbs of the lower jaw, in which respect the species differs from the 
Cossyphus maldat of the ‘ Ilistoire des Poissons,’ to w r hich it has 
some resemblance in general form. There are six rows of scales on 
the cheek and as many on the interoperculum ; the scales on the disk 
of the preoperculum are smaller than these, and those covering the 
operculum and suboperculum are considerably larger. The naked 
part of the scales exhibits little pits rather than granulations. There 
are thirty scales on the lateral line, each carrying a simple tube with 
its point turned upwards. The tube is more branched in C. maldat. 
There is no sudden bend in the lateral line, but it descends gradually 
under the soft dorsal rays to the middle height of the tail, on which 
there are eight rows of scales. 
The anal and dorsal fins move in scaly sheaths, which are broadest 
on the soft rays. The spinous rays are strong, tapering, and acute. 
The first dorsal spine stands over the axil of the ventrals; and the 
ventral spine, which is as tall as the last and longest dorsal one, stands 
beneath the base of the lowest pectoral ray. The soft parts of the anal 
and dorsal are somewhat peaked, and rise above the spines. These two 
fins end exactly opposite to each other, and leave a considerable space 
of naked tail behind them. The angles of the caudal project a little 
beyond the straight intermediate border. The colours of the speci¬ 
men have faded. Length 16 inches. 
Cossyphus gouldii, Richardson. 
Labrus gouldii, Rich. Ann. fy Mag. Nat. Hist. xi. p. 353. 
Cossyphus, vel Lachnolaimus gouldii. Idem, Ichth. of Voy. of 
Erebus and Terror , p. 132. 
Radii. —D. 11110 vel 11; A. 3| 10 vel 11; C. 14f; P. 1/ vel 16; 
V. 115, spec. 
(Pisces, PI. III. fig. 3, 4.) 
Mr. Neill’s collection contains a young specimen of this fish, which 
was previously known to me only by an example of considerably 
greater size, brought from Western Australia by Mr. Gould. Neither 
specimen retained the pharyngeal bones, and I still remain in doubt 
as to which of the dismemberments of the Linnsean genus Labrus it 
ought to be referred. 
It has the general form of Labrus, with the scaly dorsal and anal 
sheaths of Cossyphus, and a peculiarity in the very compressed form 
of the spinous rays which I have not as yet seen in any other La- 
broid. It has the four anterior canines in each jaw r which exist in 
