£16 Notes on the Red Band- Fish. 



distance from its origin, and thence extending in a straight 

 direction towards the tail, about equidistant from the dorsal 

 and ventral profile. From the upper point of the pre-opercu- 

 lum, a row of bone-like processes slopes upwards to the base 

 of the dorsal fin, and thence continues throughout the entire 

 length of the fish, giving it a carinated appearance; along the 

 base of the anal fin a similar carination extends. 



In the dorsal fin the three first rays only are inarticulated 

 and simple, but they are as flexible as the rest ; the fourth 

 ray, and those which follow, are both articulated and branch- 

 ed. All the rays of the anal fin are articulated ; the first is 

 simple ; the second and succeeding ones are branched. The 

 fin-rays are in number,— D. 71. A 63. P. 17. V. 1 + 5.*— 

 Branch, mem. 6 rays. 



The upper portion of the head and body is a deep rose colour, 

 shading gradually downwards to a paler hue ; posterior part of 

 the body of a uniform deep rose colour; base of the lower jaw 

 carmine ; space before and above the ventrals and pre-oper- 

 culum bright silver ; irides silvery, tinged with rose colour, 

 pupils blueish black ; membrane uniting the outer extremity 

 of the inter-maxillary with the maxillary, dusky, or clouded 

 with black, which latter colour it is described to be by Cuv. 

 and Val. The extreme anterior portion of the dorsal and anal 

 fins dark and pale rose colour, irregularly disposed, and bor- 

 dered with a narrow line of reddish lilac, which gradually in- 

 creases in breadth posteriorly, forming a beautiful termination 

 to the greater portion of these fins : in both the anal and dor- 

 sal, the rays are of a deep carmine hue, the connecting mem- 

 brane is either generally of an orange yellow, or reddish lilac, 

 at the base, the centre carmine, and the border reddish 

 lilac, which colour is separated from the orange yellow by a 

 narrow line of deep carmine. The pectorals have a slight 

 tinge of deep rose colour; the ventrals are pure white. There 

 is not the least indication of any transverse bands, as are fi- 

 gured by Montagu,* (Linn. Trans, vol. vii. pi. 17), and de- 

 scribed by Risso. The latter author mentions a reddish spot 

 at the origin of the dorsal fin, — at 1 J inch from the commence- 



* The ordinary number of rays thus appearing in the D. and A. fins, (70 

 being commonly attributed to the former, and from 60 to 63 to the latter — 

 Donovan describing 69 in the A. fin of his specimen, which was 1 1 inches 

 in length), may seem against the presumption that the specimen was from 

 two to three inches longer than at present, as the depth of the broken extre- 

 mity denotes ; but in the fins of fishes generally, having many rays, I have 

 found the number to differ very much in individuals of the same species. 



fThe two coloured figures of English specimens, (Montagu's and Dono- 

 van's), in which these fins are expanded, give no idea of this marginated 



do any figures I have seen. 



