Consequently the greatest height of the body to the length is nearly one eleventh. The greatest thickness of the body along the line of the vertebæ, 3 feet 6 inches from the snout, is 3.5 inches, gradually it increases to 4 inches at 4 feet 2 inches from the snout, a thickness it sustains for 4 feet more, after which it gradually diminishes till 3 feet 6 inches from the tail it has dwindled to 2.25 inches. The ventral edge of the body is broader than the dorsal one. Colour generally silvery, with a tinge of lavender. When the fine silvery coating is still attached, the tuberculated bands look lighter than those on which the tubercles are very minute. On the other hand, when this coating is rubbed off alike, the smooth bands look the lightest. In the latter case the tuberculated bands appear steel-coloured, on which the tubercles stand prominently with a silvery white lustre. On both sides are a number of blackish irregular stripes and blots, mostly elongate in the anterior portion, gradually decreasing and ceasing near the anus. The whole skin is also covered with dark rings, mostly of a round form, inclosing a lighter space. They are generally 1.5 inch in diameter and stand about one inch from each other.

Snout truncated with a very protractile upper jaw and a vertical cleft of the mouth. No teeth. The eye, which has a somewhat oval form, the largest diameter being in the horizontal direction, is 1.25 inch broad, or a little more than ⅙ of the length of the head. The horizontal diameter of the pupil is .52 inch. The three operculums, the supra-orbital, suborbital, and prefrontal, as well as the remarkable maxillary bones, possess a radiated structure on their surface, which is covered with a very thin skin, breaking with the least touch.

The frontal and nasal bones are smooth and covered with skin of a dark steel colour, showing the same iridescence as the former.

The cheeks, the supra-scapular and temporal bones are covered with tuberculated skin which has also the same dark bluish colour as the rest of the head.

The dorsal fin consists of two portions, of which the first nine spines form a crest. These spines enlarge at their termination to a lobe, as shown by the two only perfect ones when the fish was obtained; they cover a space of 2.5 inches. The first of these spines is broken off at 3 inches from the base; it is the stoutest of the whole series.

No. 2 is considerably thinner and 7 inches long. It is one of the complete ones. The next three spines (3, 4, and 5) were all broken off at 4 to 6 inches and were nearly as thick as the first. From here they get thinner, the thickness of the seventh having only the thickness of the second. This spine which is entire, is 7.75 inches long, and has, like the second, a lobe at its termination. The eighth is still thinner and broken

off one inch from its base, and there is only a fragment of the ninth, which is not thicker than one of the rays of the dorsal fin proper. All of these spines which have minute hooks directed upwards on their anterior and posterior edges are united with each other by a small membrane about .45 inch high. They had, like the two ventral rays, a red colour, very bright in their upper portion when the fish was first obtained, which, however, gradually faded to a dull light pink.

A quarter of an inch behind the last spine the dorsal fin proper begins, consisting of a great number of slender rays, which do not project beyond the margin of the thin membrane by which they are united. These rays stand at a distance of three-quarters of an inch from each other. At the beginning they are about one inch high, gradually increasing in length, till about one foot from the beginning of this dorsal fin they stand 2.5 inches high, continuing so to within 3 feet from the end of the tail; they after this gradually get smaller, till 5.5 inches from the end of the tail, they cease altogether. Here at the termination the last four rays stand not only above the membrane, but they are also thicker than all the preceding ones. The pectoral fin is one inch broad at the base; 2.5 inches high along the first ray. It also had a reddish hue, but not so bright as the crest and the ventral rays.

In a straight line below the hind edge of the pectoral fin stands a single strong ventral ray on both sides, of which, however, only 3 inches are preserved, the rest being broken off.

I was informed by the finder that it had been at least 15 inches long, but he did not observe any enlargement at the termination. I believe that, when the fish was first seen, the anterior portion of this remarkable ventral ray with the lobe had been already broken off during the efforts the fish made to regain the sea.

Tail without any caudal fin, being formed by a number of spines, getting gradually thinner and tending to a point.

Anal vent 4 feet 1 inch behind the ventral spines.

The lateral line is formed by a number of elongated smooth scales, which lie in a groove. It starts from the posterior end of the supraorbital, gradually descending, so that at the anus it is situated only 3.5 inches above it. Four longitudinal ridges which are cut off obliquely by the lateral line extend along the whole length of the body, they are covered with small round tubercles and are about three-quarters of an inch broad, the space between them having nearly the same breadth. This space is also covered with tubercles, which, however, are very minute. Below the latter the intermuscular septa are situated. The skin below the lateral line is almost smooth for about an inch, after which the tubercles appear again, getting