FAMILY SCOMBRID.E BLEPHARIS. 123 



and the base of the caudal. Pectorals one-sixth of the whole length, and with nineteen rays. 

 Anal fin long and low, with two spines before it. Caudal deeply forked. 



Color. Greenish blue on the back ; yellowish along the lateral line, and on the caudal fin ; 

 silvery white on the throat, and belly whitish. A smutty oblong spot under each eye, and a 

 dark spot on the margin of the opercle. Dorsals brownish. About twelve black points along 

 the unarmed portion of the lateral line. 



Length, 8'0-8. Depth, 2-0. 

 Fin rays, D. 10.7.21 + i; P. 19 ; V. 5 ; A. 2.9.25 + i ; C. 19, according to Mitchill. 

 D. 8.1.31 + i; P.—; V.1.5; A. 2.1 .27 + i ; C. — , according to Cuvier. 



M. Cuvier supposes his C. punctatus to be identical with the fish figured by Mitchill under 

 the erroneous name of S. hippos. He declares the figure of Mitchill to be a perfect resem- 

 blance of his species. I have given a copy of this figure. If they are identical, we must 

 suppose great carelessness in the description given by Mitchill in his enumeration of the fin 

 rays. It has a range from the Caribbean sea to New-York. 



GENUS BLEPHARIS. Cuvier. 



Small and nearly concealed spines in advance of the dorsal fin. Anterior rays of the dorsal 

 and anal fin prolonged into very long filaments. Ventrals elongated. Body much com- 

 pressed, trenchant, iciih a rapidly declivous front. 



THE HAIR-FINNED BLEPHARIS. 



Blepharis crinitus. 

 PLATE XXV. FIG. 76. 

 Zais criyiitits, Hair-tinned Dory. Akerly, Am. Jour. Sc. &c. Vol. 11, p. 144, plate. 



Characteristics. Body almost orbicular, not trapezoidal. Bluish above ; white beneath. 

 Length 5 to 6 inches. 



Description. Body much compressed, acute on its edges, with a brilliant skin not covered 

 with scales. Lateral line unarmed, with a broad curve about the pectoral fins, and thence 

 straight to the tail. Eyes very large. Suborbital finely serrate. Teeth in both jaws, 

 minute and acute ; the lower jaw projecting. Dorsal fin with seven filamentous and eleven 

 bifid rays ; the first ray twelve inches long, the other six successively shorter, the bifid portion 

 low and subequal. Pectorals falciform, and composed of seventeen rays. Ventrals long 

 narrow and pointed. Anal fin with five filamentous rays, varying from 4 to 6 inches in length ; 

 the remaining eleven rays low, subequal. Caudal deeply furcate. 



Color. Bluish above, shining white beneath. 



Length, 5 "5. Depth, 3 "8. 



Fin rays, D. 18 ; P. 17 ; V. — ; A. 16 ; C. — . 



