1574 ZOOLOGY. 



mouth arc also developed iuto liesby i)rolongations, or tentacles. The 

 species attains a large size, sometimes reaching or even exceeding- the 

 Treight of fifty pounds. In life the color is brilliant ; above it has a vio- 

 laceous tint, while the lower parts are whitish, with some areas of 

 yellow. There are numerous greenish-yellow spots, the largest about a 

 third of the diameter of the eye ; across the caudal fin are about eight 

 stripes of the same color. " The soft dorsal has an upper broad band 

 of violaceous, and a narrow basal portion of whitish." The first speci- 

 mens obtained " were caught with menhaden bait in July, 1879, while 

 trying for cod, fifty miles south by east of oSTo Man's Land," at a depth 

 of 75 fathoms, and on a A^ery hard clay bottom. "Two miles inside of 

 this bottom there is nothing but a green ooze, on which no fish will live." 

 The Lopholatilus is very abundant and bites freely. Large numbers 

 have been taken since the discovery, and it is possible that the species 

 may become a regular object of fishery. 



THE KOCK-FISIIES OF CALIFORNIA. 



One of the most interesting and unexpected results of the investiga- 

 tions of Messrs Jordan and Gilbert* among the fishes of the Pacific 

 coast of North America is the great development of species of the family 

 of Scorpo^nids rej)resenting the genus Sebastichthys or closely related 

 ones. Excluding Sehastodes, eleven species had been previously made 

 known, and even then it was considered to be a remarkably well devel- 

 oped type, but the recent investigations of Messrs. Jordan and Gilbert 

 have revealed the existence of not less than 25 species. These occur in 

 different associations, and are found in several bathymetrical zones 5 

 they are mostlj^ caught in large numbers by the Italian and Portugese 

 fishermen, and taken to the markets of San Francisco. They exhibit 

 almost Gverj gradation in the extent of the armature of the head, and 

 the transition between the typical representatives of the groups Sebas- 

 tichthys and Sebastosomus are such as to indicate that they are of not more 

 than subgeneric value. Some of the species are very formidably armed, 

 as in the case of the >S'. nigrocinctus and S. serriceps, while others, as the 

 8. melanops and S. flavidus, have the spinous ridges almost obsolete. 

 Several species are very vividly colored. Such is especially the S. riibri- 



* Jordan (David S.), and Cliaiies H. Gilbert. Description of a new si^ecies of 

 "Rock-cod" {Sebastichthys serricejps), from tlie coast of California. Proc. U. S. Xat. 

 Mus., vol. iii, pp. 38-40. 



Description of anew species of ''Rock-fisli" {Sebastichthys carnatus), from the 



coast of California. Proc. U. S. Xat. Mus., vol. iii, pp. 73-75. 



Description of two new species of Sebasticlitliys {Sebastichthys entomelas and 



Scbastkhihys rlwdocMoria), from Monterey Bay, California. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 

 vol. iii, pp. 142-14G. 



Description of seven new species of Sebastoid fishes from the coast of Cali- 

 fornia. Proc. U. S. Xat. Mus., vol. iii, pp. 287-298. 



Description of a new Scorpamoid fish (Sebastichthys maliger), from the coast of 



California. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. iii, pp. 322-324. 



Description of a new Scorpsenold fish (Sebastichthys proriger), from Monterey- 

 Bay, California. Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., vol. iii, pp. 327-329. 



