136 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



edges at vent, the rest of the body tinged with golden, the part above 

 axis of body more or less orange brown; the whole upper half of body 

 shows more or less orange shading. Breast blue-green. Blue spots on 

 scales less pronounced than in the female. Head livid blue- green, more 

 or less striped and spotted with clear blue, the spots arranged as in the 

 females, but less sharply defined. Orange stripes and areas on top and 

 front of head as in female, but the blue areas larger and more encroach- 

 ing. 



Dorsal and caudal alike in both sexes, the blue more pronounced in 

 male. Anal alike in both, but in the male the median stripe is of a 

 rich grass green. Pectoral in male with blue rays and bright grass- 

 green membranes. Ventrals similar, but the inner rays green. Blue 

 spot at base of pectoral above very intense. Oblique bands from ])ec- 

 toral downward and backward similar in both sexes. Blue under 

 lower jaw and middle of breast similar. 



Lower pharyngeal T-shaped, not much broader than long. 



130. Platyglossus bivittatus (Bloch). Slippei-y Dick. 



{Sjmrus radiatits Lmna?us, Syst. Nat. ed. xii, 1766, 472, ou a specimen sent 



from Charleston by Garden.) 

 {Platyglossus Immeralis, grandisquamis and Jlorealis of authors.) 



Exceedingly common in shallow waters and about rocks. It rarely 

 reaches the length of a foot. Its markings are quite constant, but the 

 ground color is subject to much variation. All the specimens obtained 

 in Cuba are light olive, much paler than any taken at Key West, but 

 the markings are precisely the same. The changes due to age are con- 

 siderable. This fish is often caught by boys with small hooks. It is 

 known as Slippery Dick. With Synodus spixianus, it is also often called 

 Soap-Jish. It is not brought into the markets. 



Greenish above, sides shaded with purple, the purplish color extend- 

 ing on the back where it forms about ten dark bars. Young specimens 

 with a brownish lateral band and a reddish stripe above it and below it. 



Many scales of posterior part of body, each with a vertical spot of 

 deep greenish blue; these smallest and bluest on caudal peduncle. 

 Blue, red, and greenish shades extending downward and backward 

 from pectoral. A red band from each eye, these meeting on the nape; 

 each bordered before with blue, behind confluent with a median red- 

 dish vertebral stripe which extends to front of dorsal. Snout largely 

 red; frontal region green; a red band through snout to edge of opercle 

 edged by blue below, then yellowish and again red. Lower jaw with 

 two orange red bands, its middle red in front, blue behind. Throat 

 reddish. Opercle with a violet spot edged by green and orange. Be- 

 yond this is a <shaped violet mark edged behind with yellow. Dorsal 

 bluish at base, then red, yellowish, red, and pale. Sometimes, but not 

 always, a violet spot at base of its last ray. Caudal largely red, with 

 oblique bluish and yellowish stripes, the corners more or less bluish, 

 darkest in the adult ; anal like dorsal. Ventrals redish ; pectorals plain. 



