334 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



found in deep water." "The coast of New York is probably its extreme south- 

 ern limit." Such are the only remarks relating to the species as an inhabitant 

 of the waters of New York. As Dekay's knowledge of its characters embodied 

 in his work has been simply derived from Cuvier and Valenciennes, his testi- 

 mony is useless in establishing the species as an American fish. 



Dr. Storer, in his illustrated " History of the Fishes of Massachusetts," hag 

 redescribed the species noticed in the Report, and given a figure of it. That 

 figure confirms his description of the size of the eyes, and exhibits great differ- 

 ence from that given by Cuvier of the true Sebastes norvegicus. Besides the 

 larger eyes, it is evident that Storer's fish has a higher and shorter body, 

 longer pectoral and ventral fins, a more elevated spinous dorsal, better armed 

 head, &c, than the typical S. norvegicus. It therefore undoubtedly belongs to 

 a different species, and that one is probably the S. viviparus of Kroyer. 



Dr. Kroyer, in the " Naturhistorisk Tidsskrift" for 1844, published an article 

 on the northern species of Sebastes, and gave a description of a new species un- 

 der the name of S. viviparus. As the periodical in which this description was 

 published is in few American libraries, the following abstract will be especially 

 acceptable. The characters of S. norvegicus, taken from the same author, have 

 been contrasted with those of S. viviparus. 



Sebastes viviparus Kroyer.* 

 Colorf subaurantiacus, macula magna operculi nigricante (ssepe maculig 

 corporis fuscis, interdum totus fuscus vel nigricans). Caput tertiam ferme 

 aequat longitudinis partem, altitudinemque parum superat. Diameter oculi 

 longitudiDalis latitudinem frontis inter oculos multo [in Norv. parum] superat, 

 aequat vero rostri longitudinem [in Nor v. multo est minor], tertiam [in Nor v. 

 quartam~\ ferme longitudinis capitis partem, 9 am 10 amve [in Norv. 12 mam 

 13 mam] totius longitudinis partem, et f [in Norv. dimidiam] longitudinis a 

 margine orbita; posteriori ad marginem operculi posteriorem. Pinnae pecto- 

 rales quartam ferme complent longitudinis partem [in Norv. breviores] et pone 

 marginem ani posteriorem extenduntur [in Norv. haud attingunt] ; pinrse ven- 

 trales quintam fere [in Norv. sextain cerciter] longitudinis partem aquant. 

 Longitudo piscis novem pollices raro superat [in Norv. sesquipedalis et ultra]. 

 Numerus radiorum. 



P. D. XV. 13 (13-14). A. III. 7 (6-8) C. 15. P. 18 (17-18). 

 P. D. XV. 15. A. III. 8. C. 15 P. 19 (in Norv.) 



On comparison of the characters of the common Sebastes of Massachusetts, 

 Maine and Nova Scotia with the preceding description, it is found that the 

 latter is quite applicable to that species, as regards color, size of head, height, 

 size of eye, &c, extent of pectoral and ventral fins, the size which the species 

 attains, and finally the number of its rays. It is only necessary to add that, in 

 addition to the opercular, there is found a large spot between the posterior half 

 of the dorsal fin and the lateral line, and frequently another, less distinct, on 

 the side, which are doubtless the ones alluded to by Kroyer in the phrase, 

 " ssepemaculis corporis fuscis." The number of soft rays, as stated by Kroyer, 

 is most frequently thirteen in the dorsal and seven in the anal fins. The fol- 

 lowing variation was found in thirty specimens selected from those preserved 

 in the Smithsonian Institution. 

 In one, D. XV. 12. A. III. 7. 



" two, D. XV. 13. A. III. 8. 



" thirteen, D. XV. 13. A. III. 7. 



" ten, D. XV. 14. A. III. 7. 



" one, D. XV. 14. A. III. 8. 



" two, D. XV. 15. A. III. 7. 



" one, D. XVI. 13. A. III. 7. 



* Kroyer Jsatuihistorisk Tidsskrift, ser. ii. vol. i. (1844-5,) p. 28. 



t Color (in S. norvegicus) aurantiams. nullis marulis distinctis; etiatu lingua et fauces auran- 

 tia<ae ; uienibrana biauchiustega intus colore matris perlarum. 



[Nov. 



