the Ichthyology of Australia. 423 



markings, that I cannot venture, on the authority of the figures 

 alone, to consider it as more than a variety or perhaps a 

 sexual dress. 



Its dorsal and anal fins are however lower, and scarcely increase 

 in height posteriorly. The ground-colour of the whole body beneath 

 the lateral line is sulphur-yellow, and the longitudinal lines are buff- 

 coloured, much fainter on the breast than elsewhere. A broad stripe 

 of scarlet covers the snout, includes the eye, and, narrowing as it 

 goes, runs backwards to the caudal fin. The back above it is brown- 

 ish red, with two lines of a paler tint, occupying the place of the 

 smalt-blue ones of the preceding variety. A bright king's-yellow 

 tints the cheek and gill- cover, and fades to white on the throat. The 

 gill- cover is tipped with black. The dorsal and anal are coloured 

 like those of the preceding fish, except that there are only four lon- 

 gitudinal lines on their borders, and that the black mark on the dor- 

 sal is triangular. The pectoral is buff-coloured and unspotted, the 

 ventral edged with buff, and the caudal crimson, crossed in the mid- 

 dle by three waving buff- coloured stripes, and having its angles pale 

 lilac as in No. 18. 



JULIS? RUBECULA. 



Sparus rubecula, Solander, Pise. Austr. p. G ; Parkinson, Bib. Banks, 

 fig. 2. 36. no. 20. 



Parkinson's drawing, quoted above, represents a fish which 

 was taken on Cook's first voyage, in Totaeranue or Ship Cove, 

 one of the harbours of Queen Charlotte's Sound. The species 

 is not noticed by the authors of the e Histoire des Poissons/ 

 but I think that its general aspect points it out to be a Julis, 

 though the figure indicates a greater number (eleven) of spinous 

 dorsal rays than any member of that genus is known to possess. 

 Solander describes the colours of the recent fish, but does not 

 mention the number of the rays, or the form of the pharyn- 

 geal teeth, so as to clear up the doubts occasioned by the 

 unfinished state of the drawing. 



The length of the sketch is eleven inches, and the height of the 

 body or length of the head is exactly equal to a fifth part thereof. 

 The caudal has a slightly concave margin, or rather its acute, falcate 

 angles project a fifth part beyond the straight intermediate mem- 

 brane. The dorsal rises slightly in its course backwards and ends 

 acutely, but not in a slender point. The anal has a similar form, 

 and the points of both fins reach the base of the caudal. Eleven 

 spinous rays are indicated, occupying a third part less space than the 

 soft part of the fin, and having the membrane behind their tips 

 notched. The rounded pectoral just exceeds a sixth of the length 

 of the fish. The ventrals are shorter, and terminate nearly their own 

 length before the anus. The lateral line, traced continuously on the 

 third row of the large scales which cover the body, follows the curve 

 of the back till it passes beyond the dorsal, when it descends sud- 

 denly in a short oblique line, and then runs straight to the base of 



