310 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



vomer projects con.spicuously below the level of the palatines. Inter- 

 or])ital width tsvo-Hfths of length of orbit; it is sliohtly and evenly eon- 

 cave, an<l with a small median canal which is not evident until the skin 

 is })ressed into it. Superorbital tentacle thin and tiat, about as long- as 

 pupil; a ver}' small nasal tentacle present. Snout long, narrow, and 

 rather sharp, 1^ or i| in postorbital part of head. A small sharp 

 spine at edg'e of preopercle opposite end of sul)orbital stay; below it 

 edge of preopercle is apparently smooth, though at anterior lower 

 edge under the skin there is a small tubercle of l)one hooked down- 

 ward, with usually a smaller one abo\e it, nasal spines very small 

 but evident. Skin everywhere smooth. 



Pectoral reaches to front of anal; it has 15 simple rays, the ninth 

 from the top the longest, If in head, the lower T rays swollen; the 

 rays al)ove the longest are truncated slightly obliciuely, those below 

 decrease rapidly in length. Ventrals with '1 rays, tlu' inner slightly 

 the longer; they reach half of the distance between their base and 

 vent. Spinous dorsal rather low, rounded posteriorly, level and 

 straight al)ove, not elevated anteriorly, the first spine ])ut little shorter 

 than the second, which equals in length 4 or 5 spines behind it, 3 to 

 3^ in head. Soft dorsal higher than spinous, the highest rays 12| to 

 3 in head. Third anal ray 3^ in hinid. Caudal ti'uncate or slightly 

 rounded, its length 1| to 2 in head. 



Color in spirits brown above, lighter below, l)ack and sides with G 

 usually inconspicuous ])lended crossbars, broken at lateral line; some- 

 times below lateral line alternating with those above; 2 under spinous 

 doi'sal, 3 under soft dorsal, and 1 at caudal peduncle; a dark bar 

 present across nape, a dark irregular streak backwards from eye, and 

 a row of o or <> dark spots across maxillary and cheek below suborbital 

 stay. All of the above bars sometimes very conspicuous, very incon- 

 spicuous or entirely aljsent. Sides usually with many small round 

 dark spots, which are ringed with white where the}' cut into the dark 

 crossl)ars; sides of head on some specimens with reticulated dark 

 lines; dorsal spines dark, 4 or 5 with a dark blotch across membnaie, 

 behind them membrane is transpai-ent. but edged above and behind 

 with dark; soft dorsal usually uniformly dark, but sometimes with 

 faint light lines across rays; anal sometimes white, pectoral with dark 

 blotch on l)ase of middle rays and a smaller one on lower 1 or 2 raj's; 

 a dark spot just at base of upper ray; a row of dark spots ocellated 

 with white along upper and lower edges of caudal. In life, the 

 ground color is subject to ^ ariations, usually olive brown; it is some- 

 times green and often red. 



Here descril)ed from specimens from 13 to. IS cm. in length. Spec- 

 imens were taken at Tok^-o, Matsushima, Misaki. Wakanoura, Naga- 

 saki, Hiroshima, and Tsuruga, It is one of the commonest lishes of 

 the coast of Japan, daily in the markets, but little valued as food. 



{TtepK}/^ perch; eiScoz^ likness.) 



