74 SERIOLA ZONATA. 



the thickest part is just below the lateral line. The head is large, broad be- 

 tween the eyes, and the snout is rounded, though narrow. The eyes are of 

 moderate size, and placed nearer to the snout than to the posterior border of 

 the opercle ; the pupil is of the deepest blue, and nearly circular, only a little 

 angular in front ; the iris is light silvery-grey, with golden tints along its superior 

 half The nostrils are closely approximated, and midway between the eye and 

 snout; they are sub-elliptical in shape, nearly of the same size, rather above 

 the middle plane of the eye, and on a line within the orbit. 



The mouth is rather large, as the superior maxillary bone extends nearly to the 

 middle of the orbit ; the lips are thin ; the upper jaw is slightly protractile, rather 

 longer than the lower, and both are armed with numerous small, pointed, card-like 

 teeth. There is an irregular, arrow-headed patch on the vomer ; and an oblong group 

 of minute teeth on each palate-bone. The tongue is broad, thin, white, and rough, 

 with minute teeth. The pre-opercle is large, thin, rounded, and rather prolonged 

 at its angle, with several slight, radiating depressions. The opercle is irregularly 

 quadrilateral, slightly notched at its posterior border, and with its anterior in- 

 ferior angle prolonged and pointed. The sub-opercle is long, narrow, triangular, 

 with its base below. The inter-opercle is rounded at its base. The gill-openings 

 are large ; there are seven branchial rays. 



There are two dorsal fins ; the anterior begins behind the root of the pectoral, 

 and is preceded by a short recumbent spine ; it is but slightly elevated, and has 

 seven spines, of which the third and fourth are longest, and all are perfectly 

 concealed in a groove when the fin is closed ; the posterior dorsal is very long, 

 extending nearly to the root of the caudal fin, and has one spinous and thirty- 

 four soft rays, the anterior longest. The pectoral fin is short ; it begins just 

 behind the opercle, and terminates on a line with the middle of the ventral ; it 

 has nineteen rays. The ventral is large, broad, and has one spinous and five soft 

 rays ; the internal being connected, for some distance, to the body, by a fold of 

 skin. The anal is long ; it begins about the middle of the soft dorsal, and is 

 CO terminal with it behind ; it has one spinous and nineteen soft rays, and is 



