518 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxv. 



spines })elow; quadrate with a small spine })elow and behind the end 

 of the maxillary; dentaries with 2 small spines at the symphysis 

 below; edge of the preoperculum very long and oblique, the angle 

 exceedingly obtuse and rounded; top of the head with 2 ridges 

 between the eyes, the interor})ital space two-thirds of the eye. Gill- 

 opening very large, its lower margin three times that of the upper; 

 gill rakers short, stumpy, and rounded, 5 + '^; no slit behind the fourth 

 gill-arch. 



Origin of spinous dorsal a little before the posterior margin of the 

 operculum, the spines thick, strong, and elongated, terminating in 

 long, thread-like filaments, and with their bases on each side, except 

 the lirst and last two, with a single short spine projecting backward; 

 the spinous dorsal high anteriorly; soft dorsal and anal graduallv 

 becoming higher posteriorlv, the origin of the former behind that of 

 the latter and the origin of the latter under the sixth dorsal spine; anal 

 spines, except the tirst, with basal spines like those on the spinous 

 dorsal; the lirst anal spine shorter than the second, which is the longest, 

 and 3 in the head, and the others l)oth still shorter, the last being the 

 shortest; pectoral rather short, in advance of the spinous dorsal, but 

 posterior to the posterior margin of the eye, rounded, and with its 

 upper rays the longer; ventrals long, expanded, below the posterior 

 part of the eye, the spine more than half the length of the tin and the 

 innermost ra}" the shortest; ventrals If in head and reaching the base of 

 the second anal spine; caudal with the margin convex and its length If 

 in head. Lateral line very high in front, descending posteriori}^ to the 

 sides and then running straight to the base of the caudal. Caudal 

 peduncle compressed and about equal to the eye. Color in alcohol, 

 brown, darker above; the spinous dorsal blackish brown, with indis- 

 tinct darker spots; spinous anal with its lower borders and the ventral 

 fins blackish; on the sides are about 9 indistinctly defined dark brownish 

 bars running longitudinally, l)ecoming reticulated somewhat as their 

 course is interrupted by a lai"ge dark ocellus on the sides a short dis- 

 tance behind the opercles; the lateral ocellus marked with a smaller 

 and darker ring inside; a dark spot at the base of the caudal; caudal 

 dusky on the outer border. In small and young examples the spinous 

 dorsal is more or less distinctly spotted, and there are traces of several 

 bands across the caudal. Here described from a large specimen from 

 Tokyo, which measures 12^ inches. 



This species is close to the John Dory of Europe {Zeus faher Lin- 

 nfeus), differing mainly in the reduced number of bony plates. In 

 color and habit the two species are very similar. The species is a 

 common inhabitant of the bays of southern Japan, l)eing taken in 

 shallow water at almost every haul of the net. 



Our specimens are from Tokyo, Misaki, Kobe, Hiroshima, Tsuruga, 

 and Nagasaki. 



