28 PEOCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



bital width, 3f in head (iu youug) ; distiiuce from snout to eye one-third 

 head ; a series of small scales below eye, head otherwise naked. 



Two anterior dorsal spines, much elevated, with filamentous tips, their 

 length two-thirds that of head ; the third or fourth spine is the lowest, 

 the spines thence slightly increasing to the last; second spine con- 

 nected by membrane with the third : longest soft ray of dorsal about 2f 

 in head ; caudal rounded, 1| in head ; ventrals 1| ; pectorals 1^. 



Head 3f in length ; depth 3^. D. IX, 13 ; A. Ill, 12. Lat. 1. 23 

 or 24. 



The specimen described above, 2 inches long, had the following color- 

 ation iu life : Light olive, scarcely paler below, the head more yellow- 

 ish ; body with five irregular brownish cross-bars, the first obscure, at 

 the nape : the last forming a blotch at base of caudal ; a small yellowish 

 spot at middle of base of caudal and a fainter one above it; a dark olive 

 band downward from eye, with a spot-like band of the same color before 

 it, and another, which becomes yellow, on the cheeks behind it ; all 

 three of these pass around the lower jaw ; an olive blotch on opercle ; 

 some brown dotg behnid eye; dorsal cherry red, paler posteriorly, dark- 

 est on the produced anterior rays; caudal pale, scarcely tinged with 

 reddish ; anal cherry red, the lateral stripes forming two spots of deeper 

 red on the fin ; pectoral plain ; ventrals deep cherry red. 



A second specimen, smaller in size, probably the female of the species, 

 had a different coloration, as follows : Orange brown, everywhere much 

 mottled, the edges of many scales being brown, the brown becoming 

 yellowish on lower parts, five brown cross-bands darker and broader 

 than in the other specimen, the first at nape, the last at base of caudal, 

 ending behind in a sharply-defined convex curve. Two yellowish brown 

 bands across from eye over lower jaw. Tip of lower jaw of the same 

 color; two similar bands across breast before ventrals. Dorsal and 

 anal transparent except where crossed by the bands. Caudal and pec- 

 torals plain, ventrals deep brownish red. 



Two specimens were obtained with the seine in the surf at Key West. 



6. Doratonotus thalassinus. 



Body much compressed, moderately' elevated; its greatest width be- 

 hind head two-sevenths of its height; caudal peduncle short and deep; 

 its length but little more than half its height ; profile from dorsal to 

 nape convex, carinated ; occiput and supraorbital region depressed and 

 flat, the snout protruding, the profile of top of head thus strongly con- 

 cave. 



Snout slender, sharp, compressed, its length 3i iu head ; mouth 

 wide; maxillary, 4 iu head ; teeth growing gradually larger anteriorly, 

 the two front teeth in each jaw, distinctly the largest, canine-like, di- 

 verging, opi)Osed to each other; a small but distinct posterior canine in 

 upper jaw, none in the lower ; eye moderate, little wider than iuterobital 

 width, 5 in head ; cheeks with a single series of large scales, 4 in num- 



