122 Annals of the South African Museum. 



successively lengthen and are followed by others that in turn decrease, 

 forming a more or less pronounced curve, the succeeding spines again 

 lengthen, the last few are subequal and about i the height of the 2nd 

 spine. There is considerable diversity however in the height and 

 extent of the undulations caused by the successive shortening and 

 lengthening of the spines. The first 2 soft rays are a little higher 

 than the adjacent spine, the succeeding rays rapidly shorten, giving 

 a blunt termination to the fin. Pectorals 12 ; somewhat oval in 

 shape, centre rays from i to the same length as the head and reach 

 to about in line with origin of anal ; membranes of inferior rays 

 incised. Ventrals i 3 ; centre ray about f length of head ; the rays 

 are connected by membrane for nearly their whole length, their ex- 

 tremities only being free. Anal n 19-21 ; posterior rays longest 

 and about J height of 2nd spine of dorsal, membranes incised ; the 

 last two or three rays, however, rapidly shorten, giving an almost 

 vertical margin to end of fin. Caudal broad and rounded, about the 

 length of the head ; membranes scalloped. The body does not vary 

 much in height for about - its length, after which it rapidly decreases 

 to the caudal peduncle, which is comparatively long and slender, its 

 length i to greater than its depth, and ^ to i the length of the 

 head. 



Colour, uniform dark yellow, the tint often most marked on the 

 pectorals and in the region between lower jaw and ventrals ; or 

 yellowish or dark brown, bronze green, &c. ; the fins speckled with 

 dark spots and also the body, on the latter the spots assume the 

 form of indefinite vertical bands about 6 in number. A peculiar 

 feature in some of the specimens is the absence of pigment on certain 

 parts of the fins, e.g., two wedge-shaped spaces on the margin of the 

 membranes of the 7th and 8th spines of dorsal, and patches at the 

 posterior extremity of that fin and of the anal, and on the margin 

 and in the centre of the caudal ; the last named is usually about the 

 size of the eye and is traversed by the rays ; these patches are trans- 

 parent when the fish is alive, and are in marked contrast to the rest 

 of the body. In other specimens the patches were of a pale yellow 

 colour. The dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are usually tipped 

 slightly with orange, which is often very marked on the posterior 

 margin of the dorsal and anal, where the connecting membrane 

 to the peduncle is often void of colour and transparent ; there are 

 also yellowish markings on the superior and inferior margins of 

 the caudal. A most striking mark is a circular patch of white, 

 like burnished silver, just behind the pectoral fins about the 

 level of the lateral line, which can be covered or exposed by a 



