54 BERYCID^. 



At tlie moment of capture, whilst this fish is yet alive, the whole body 

 beneath the lateral line is of a pure, resplendent, silvery white : the fins 

 alone, and merely the ridge of the back and head, the inside of the mouth, 

 the lower jaw, and parts beneath the eye, being of the brightest scarlet, 

 contrasting strongly with the pure silver of the whole sides and belly, 

 which only after death turn iridescent-rosy, or sometimes rich golden- 

 scarlet. The hind parts of the dorsal and the ventral fins are transparent : 

 the iris is pale scarlet. There is a watery transparency about the scarlet 

 of the back in this state, perfectly inimitable by art. 



The fishermen affirm correctly, that this superior degree of whiteness 

 when first captured, is constant in this species, their " Alfonsin a casta 

 cumprida," as compared with B. decadactylus , Cuv., their " Alfonsin a 

 casta larga," which is from the first more generally scarlet or high-coloured. 

 It is also remarkable that the pale-coloured mouth is characteristic of the 

 outwardly richer- coloured species ; whilst in the paler, B. splendens, the 

 mouth internally is full bright red. This character is constant, and should 

 not have been left out in the specific character. 



The accompanying figure is reduced from a drawing of an individual 

 which measured seventeen inches in length, and had only ten soft rays in 

 each ventral fin. 



