110 On some Mammalia and Fish from Van Diemen's Land. 



between the large pectoral and ventral tin, the second over the 

 middle of the space between the ventral and anal fins. Re- 

 spiratonj slips five, the three hinder ones over the base of the 

 pectoral fins : skin rough, grey, with two very indistinct dark- 

 er lines on each side of the tail. There is a second species of 

 this genus, from China, which I have described in my Zoolo- 

 gical Miscellany, under the name of Cestracion Zebra, figured 

 in Hardwick, Drawing of Cartilagineous Fishes, t.5, which dif- 

 fers in the body being marked with broad black cross bands. 

 The " parrot fishes," or Ostracions, consist of three very di- 

 stinct and beautiful species allied to Ostracion auritus of 

 Shaw (Nat. Misc., ix. t. 338), for which I have formed a sub- 

 genus under the name of Aracana. 



1. Ostracion [Aracana) ornata, Gray. Granular, white, 

 with hexangular spots, leaving whitish reticulations ; face and 

 belly with alternate unequal dark and white oblique streaks ; 

 fins pale ; front of dorsal and anal fin dark ; caudal fin with a 

 dark submarginal band and dark streaks between the strong 

 caudal rays. 



2. Ostracion [Aracana) flavigaster, Gray. Granular, pale, 

 with dark longitudinal lines ; under lip, throat, and beneath 

 yellow ; fins all whitish ; front of anal and dorsal fin rather 

 clouded ; caudal rays slender. 



3. Ostracion [Aracana) lineata, Gray. Rough, with tessel- 

 lated ridges; whitish back, with irregular black marks; face 

 and sides with crooked black streaks ; belly and lower lips 

 white ; fins all whitish ; rays of caudal fin slender ; base of 

 tail with three black streaks. 



In some specimens of this species the spines (which agree 

 in number and position in all these species) are very short and 

 tubercular, and only rudimentary. 



The specimen of Ostracion auritus figured by Dr. Shaw, is 

 in the British Museum collection ; it appears to be most allied 

 to the last species, but differs from it in being larger and co- 

 vered with small granules, and is of a nearly uniform brown 

 colour ; but this may arise from some imperfection in its ori- 

 ginal preservation. 



In the British Museum there is also a fifth species of this 

 section, sent from China by Mr. Reeves, which I figured in 



