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Show 50 ZOOLOGY OF THE VOYAGE OF TilE BEAGLE. ciliated; the concealed portion with eight or nine deeper and more distinct strire, not meeting · t I!' f: nd w1'tl·1 the basal margin crenated. The scales on the cheeks and m the centre o 10rm a an, a opercle are smaller than those on the body, and almost s~ooth. . The dorsal fin commences in a line with the postenor margm of the ope~cle, a~d extends nearly the whole length of the back, rising from a. groove as i~ the Sparid<B: 1ts hetght o~ the whole tolerably uniform throughout: spinous portion occupymg ~ore than half the fin, the te · · d ally increasin<Y in len<Yth to the fourth,* whiCh equals rather more than an nor spmes gra u o o . one-third of the depth; the succeeding ones nearly even, ve:y gradually decreasmg to the l~st, which is about two-thirds the length of the fourth; all the spmes modera~ely ~tout:. soft ?ortlon of the fin even, and rather higher than the last spine. Anal commencmg m a.lme w1th the third soft ray of the dorsal, and terminating oppo~ite to that fin=. the first spme short, but strong ; second and third spines equal in length, bemg about tw~-th1~ds the l~n~th ~f the soft rays, but the second much stouter than the third; the second spme 1s also d1stmgmshed fr~m the others by having its surface longitudinally striated: soft rays nearly even, and resembhng those of the dorsal. Caudal forked, with the upper lobe a trifle longer than the lower; the basal half covered with minute scales. Pectorals narrow and pointed, about two-thirds the length of the head, with a small fold of loose skin in their axillre. V entrals placed a little further back than the pectorals, and somewhat shorter; a long pointed scale in their axillre, nearly one-third their length. CoLOUR.-" Bluish silvery."-D.-The colour, as it appears in spirit, is nearly uniform bluish gray, and very similar to that of the Cantharus griseus. The gill-cover has a dusky edging posteriorly. Second specimen.--Smaller than the above, and not quite so deep in the body; the gt·eatest depth contained a trifle more than four times in the entire length ; the nape in consequence less elevated, and the profile less oblique. Eyes relatively a little larger, their diameter rather more than one-fifth the length of the head. Preopercle with the posterior margin not so rectilineal, approaching to concave; the angle at bottom projecting in consequence a little backwards i the denticulations not quite so distinct and regular. One ray more in the soft dorsal. D. J2/16; A. 3/12; C.l7, &c.; P. 19; V. 1/5. LoNG. unc. 9. lin. 2. CoLOUR.-11 Silvery; above, shaded with brown and iridescent with blue; fins and iris sometimes edged with blackish brown. Flap of the gill·cover edged with black."-D. Habitat, Galapagos Archipelago. This species, which is undoubtedly new, may be known from most of those described by Cuvier and Valenciennes by its greater number of soft rays in the anal fin. The only ones which equal it in this respect are the P.Conceptionis and * The third spine is brokon, and may have been as long as the fourth. FISII. [jJ the P.fasciatum; from the former of which it may be distinguished by its greater depth and nearly even dorsal, from the latter by its plain colour free from all conspicuous bands and markings. The dorsal notch is scarcely observable, the eleventh and twelfth spines being nearly equal, and but little shorter than the first soft ray. Its analogy to the genus Cantltarus among the Spar·idce, which it resembles as well in colour as in general form, is very striking. There are two specimens in the collection ; the one described first above having been taken at Chatham Island, the other at Charles Island, in the Galapagos Al'chipelago. 1. LATILUS JUGULARIS. Val. Latilusjugularis, Czt'D. et Val. !list. des Poiss. tom. ix. p. 369. pl. 279. FoaM.-Elongated, with the dorsal line slightly curved, the ventral nearly straight. Greatest depth contained five times and one-third in the entire length. Head, which much exceeds the depth, four times in the same. Profile very convex above the eyes, whence it falls obliquely to the lips. Snout thick and rounded, resembling that of the Red Mullet: mouth protractile, horizontal, placed at the bottom of the snout, the commissure just reaching to a vertical from the anterior part of the orbit. Jaws equal or very nearly so; the lower one perhaps a very little the longest. Maxillary not widening at its posterior extremity. A band of velutine teeth in each jaw, narrowing at the sides as it extends backwards; with an outer row of longer and stronger ones: in the lower jaw, the velutine band does not extend beyond the middle of the sides, the carding teeth being all that are visible. Tongue and palate smooth. Eyes high in the cheeks; large, and of an oval form; their vertical diameter three-fourths of their longitudinal ; this last equalling one-fourth the length of the head. Nostrils consisting of two round apertures, the posterior one largest, the anterior covered by a membranous flap. Preoperc] e with the denticles far apart, and not very obvious, unless the skin be dissected off; the ascending margin recti lineal and vertical; the angle rounded. Bony part of the opercle terminating in a flat point, above which are two other smaller points not so well developed ; all the points concealed in the membrane, and scarcely visible from without : beneath the principal point, the membrane is prolonged backwards in the form of a broad flattened bristly point three lines in length. Crown, gill-covers and cheeks, scaly, but not the jaws; snout scaly, except very near the lips. Gill-opening large. Lateral line at first at one-third of the depth, but falling gradually to one-half. Scales rather small ; one taken from immediately above the lateral line of an oblong form, the length being twice the breadth, with its free margin finely ciliated, crenated behind with a fan of nine strire; on scales taken from other parts the number of strire in the fan are more numerous. One long dorsal fin of nearly uniform height throughout, equalling about half the depth ; only four slender spines, gradually increasing in length from the first which is very short; the fourth about three-fourths the length oftl1e first soft ray; soft rays increasing likewise very gradually to the fourth, which with the next five or six are highest; the membrane of the fin very |