738 ON SOME AUSTRALIAN ELEOTRIN.E, 



between the origin of the first dorsal and the extremity of the 

 snout is a little more than its distance from the base of the last 

 soft ray; outer border of the first dorsal rounded, its height 1^^ 

 to 2^^^ in the length of the head, the last i-ay reaching when laid 

 back in the ^ to, in the 9 not quite to the origin of the second 

 dorsal; the rays* of the soft dorsal increase in length in the ^^ to 

 the last, which is 1^^'^ to 1| in the head, in the 9 to the third or 

 fourth — rarely the fifth — which are 1^ to ly in the head : the 

 anal fin originates below the second ray of the soft dorsal, and 

 the penultimate ray in the ^, the tliii'd or fourth in the J are the 

 longest, as long as those of the soft dorsal : fourth ventral ray 

 considerably longer than the third or fifth and terminating in a 

 filament; in the (J it reaches well l:)eyund the vent and is as long 

 as the head, in the 9 to or not (juite to the vent and aljout 

 one-fifth less than the head : pectoral fin i-ounded, the middle 

 rays the longest, reaching to or not quite to the vertical from the 

 dorsal interspace, its length l}^ to li- in that of the head : caudal 

 fin rounded, l-j'y to li in the length of the head, its peduncle as 

 long as or as much as one-fifth shorter than the head, the depth 1 i to 

 2 in the length. Genital papilla large; lanceolate, simple, longer 

 than tlie eye, and nearly twice as long as Inroad in the ^ ; oblong, 

 truncated, much shorter than the eye, and not much longer than 

 broad in the 9. Scales large, not larger on the tail than on the 

 sides of the body; those of the head, nape, thorax, and abdomen 

 smaller, and with very delicate concentric strire ; the remainder 

 with coai'ser longitudinal stride; scales of the interorbital i-egion 

 and cheeks smaller than those of the occiput and opercle. 



Upper surface rich brown or jiurple, passing into green or 

 greenish-gold on the sides, gray below, all the scales with a 

 lighter border; each of the lateral scales has a large purple l)as;il 

 spot or short streak forming together longitudinal bands, those 

 which originate behind the pectorals being the most conspicuous 

 and persistent ; between these l^ands are narrower stripes of 

 liright gold; cheeks and opercles strongl}' tinged with yellow, the 

 latter often clouded by more or less concurrent groups of 

 microscopic violet dots; a purplish band from the lower angle of 



