96 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Tbo iuterocular space in this species is narrow, perfectly smootli, and 

 without ridge or concavity. No. 7 is an anomalous individual, colored 

 similarly on both sides, except upon the cheeks and opercular apparatus 

 of the blind side, which were yellow when fresh, but have faded to white 

 in alcohol. In tliis fish, the upper eye is less lateral than usual, and, as 

 if to give it more scope of upward vision, the dorsal outline and fin do 

 not curve downwards to meet the curve of the snout, but end in a point 

 about I" above the eye ; the outline from the back of the eye to the 

 point taking the form of a hollow or " scotia." 



Girard first described this form in Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Phil. 185G, p. 

 137, and afterwards in the U. S. Pac. E. E. Eep. x, 152. His specimens 

 came from Tomales Bay, an inland harbor similar to that of San Fran- 

 cisco, but smaller, and situated within the range of the fishing- vessels 

 which supply the markets of San Francisco. Dr. Giinther, writing in 

 18G2, i>laces f/uttulatus in the genus Plcuronectes, and quotes Girard's 

 doscrii)tion, at the same time describing, under the name of Parophnjs 

 ayresii,n, form that is evidently the one common in this market. In a 

 note he states that "it appears to us specifically distinct from P. camosa,''^ 

 but makes no comparison between it and P. r/uttulatus. 



A careful comparison of Girard's description of (juttnUius with Giin- 

 ther's of mjrcsii reveals no differences except in the proportions, which 

 are variable in most of our fiat-fishes, and in the color, which is described 

 by the latter as "uniform brownish lead-colored," by the former as 

 " greyish or lead, sprinkled all over with black dots and whitish spots." 

 In the only form which I have seen, the whitish spots are of frequent 

 occurrence. The greatest discrepancy between the two descriptions is 

 in the size of the eyes, which Girard states are " contained three times 

 in the length of the side of the head," but which Giinther gives as one- 

 fifth of the length of the head. All the specimens I have seen agree in 

 this respect, as also in other proportions, more closely with Giinther's 

 ayres'u. 



Gill (P. A. N. S. Phil. 1864, p. 190) queries the distinctness of P. ayres^'i, 

 and his query tends to confirm tho impression of the identity of the 

 two species that I had formed before perusing his paper. 



Most of the smaller specimens that I have examined have the number 

 of rays of the dorsal and anal fins as given by Gunther for P. mjresii 

 (D. GG, A. 17), which differs from that given by Girard for guttulatns 

 only in the absence of one dorsal ray; but larger examples have a much 

 larger number of rays : No. 2 (12^" long) had 72 dorsal, 51 anal, and 13 

 pectoral rays ; another specimen, 12^" long, had D. 70, A. 48 ; and No. 

 5 had D. 71, A. 49. This species is very abundant, and is occasionally 

 taken inside, but usually outside, the bay ; it is called by the dealers 

 " Turbot," and attains occasionally a length of 18", and a weight of 

 about 5 pounds. It can be readily recognized by its broad form, convex 

 caudal, the dark dull color of the eyed side, and the yellow margin 

 round the head on the blind side. I am informed that the greater portion 

 of the turbots brought here are taken in the vicinity of Tomales Bay. 



