Fishes of the South Pacific. 75 



dorsal spine and base of soft dorsal is equal to the base of anal; a 

 small movable ventral spine present with about two barbs on each 

 side; depth of caudal peduncle equal to its length. 



Color in spirits is a dull brown, without darker mottlings, a 

 bright blue spot about the vent; soft dorsal and anal yellow, cau- 

 dal brown, pectorals yellowish, iris yellowish. 



One specimen, No. 997 (Fig. 13) B. M., from Fate, New 

 Hebrides. 



Monacanthus spilosomus (Bennett). 



One specimen. No. 19 16 B. M., from Rarotonga, Cook Ids. 



Family OSTRACIID.E. 

 Ostracion cornututn Linna.i;s. 



Two specimens, Nos. 1333 and 1334 B. M., from Tahiti. 

 One specimen. No. 1156* B. M., from Shortland Id., Solomons. 



Ostracion dexteri Seale, new species. 



Carapace expanded and rounded below; the lower lateral mar- 

 gin with three spines on each side; a prominent spine over each 

 eye, another on the middle of the back, flanked on each side by 

 two others, in all eleven large spines; eye equal to the spine above 

 it; forehead and iuterorbital space concave. 



Color, greenish above, yellowish below. Length i in. 



One specimen, No. 1526 (Fig. 7) B. M., from Bellingshausen 

 Id. of the Society group. Named for the donor. Captain George 

 Dexter, of Tahiti. 



Ostracion chryseres Seale, new species. 



Depth 3.75; head 4; eye 3.50 in head, 2.50 in interorbital 

 space; D. 10; A. 9; P. 10; C. 10; interorbital 1.20 in head; snout 

 1.50 in head. 



Body a four-sided carapace without spines; back rounded; in- 

 terorbital space slightly concave; ventral ridges more prominent 

 than dorsal; length of carapace behind dorsal fin 2 in head; a 

 hump on the snout above the mouth, and a fleshy hump of about 

 equal size on the under jaw; teeth, 10 in each jaw, these are rather 

 flat and weak, brownish in color; scutes large, 10 on each side; 

 base of dorsal fin 2 in its height; base of anal 2.20 in its height; 

 pectorals 1.20 in head; caudal i.io in head. 



Color in life is olive brown, with dark round dots the size of 

 pupil, in the centre of each scute of the back and the upper row 

 of scutes of the side; sides of head with yellow margins to the 

 scutes, some yellow lines back and above the pecl:orals, and a yel- 

 low line extending back from base of pectorals to the middle of the 

 body; sides of the caudal peduncle a bright 5'ellow, dusky on top; 

 base of dorsal black; fins whitish, with dark dots. 



