■FISHES OF PUGET SOUND. 823 



middle of suborbital stay with a strong hooked spine ; 

 below the stay, on the naked area, are 2 or 3 plates with 

 spines on their centers; angle of preopercle with a large 

 sharp spine; along the lower edge of preopercle are 3 or 

 4 blunt spines; a ridge of 4 spines running back from 

 each eye, corresponding with the dorsal keels of body; 

 below this on each side is a ridge, somewhat irregular but 

 not broken into spines, terminating in a spine that points 

 between the dorsal and upper lateral keel of body ; a small 

 ridge on upper edge of opercle which does not end in a 

 spine; a few small spines around posterior edge of oper- 

 cle; a few minute spines along median line of top of 

 head, the upper part of the eye covered with minute 

 prickles. At the occiput is a deep pit, broader and 

 deeper than long, divided by a low ridge through its 

 middle. 



Body with four ridges on each side, formed by the 

 body plates, each plate ending in a strong recurved spine, 

 except those of the abdominal ridge, which are smooth; 

 a row of minute spines along median dorsal line from first 

 dorsal to occiput;, small spines following the lateral line; 

 no trace of keels or spines in front of ventrals. The ab- 

 dominal ridges are widest apart on the belly, they unite 

 on the tenth plate in front of the caudal fin. The dorsal 

 rideres unite on the ninth scale in front of the caudal fin, 

 but the spines continue double to the tail; a row of sharp, 

 small spines around the base of the pectoral and caudal 

 fins. 



Dorsal spines slender, the fin highest in front, the sec- 

 ond spine the longest, its tip reaching to the base of the 

 next to the last spine when the fin is depressed ; third dor- 

 sal ray the highest, its tip reaching nearly to the last ray 

 when depressed; the last ray is very short and adnate 

 to the body for the whole of its length. Lower rays 



