324 NINTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



4. PoMOTis OBESUs, Ginircl. 

 Pomoiis obe.sus, Girartl in Proc, Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., V, 1854, 40, 



General color dark olive green, with six or eight vertical bars of 

 darker on each side, covering a breadth of three or four scales. The 

 skin at the base of the scales, in the space covered by these vertical 

 bars, shows spots of golden purplish ; cheeks with narrow lines and 

 spots of the same and similar spots on the basal portion of the membrane 

 of the vertical tins. A. and V. are glossed with metallic green on the 

 interradial portion. Opercular flaps, rich velvet black, bordered (ex- 

 cept behind) witli a narrow line of golden purple ; a crescent of the 

 same on the basal half, the convexity anterior ; opercles metallic 

 green. P. transparent olivaceous. In some specimens a distinct verti- 

 cal bar passes through the eye. In some, too, there is a shade of violet 

 on each side, above the anal fins. 



This species was only Ibund in the Cedar Swamp creeks. Cape May 

 county, and Atlantic county, among the splatterdocks, or in small runs 

 or ditches. They w'ere most abundant in muddy water, though occa- 

 sionally occurring where it was (},uite clear. Fins nearly black. 



This modestly colored species of sun-lish appears to be confined to 

 the fresh water in the immediate vicinity of our Atlantic coast. I first 

 detected it in the boggy brooks near Framingham, Massachusetts, and 

 have since taken it at other points. It was very abundant in the Spar- 

 kill, near Piermont, New York, but does not appear to have been 

 caught by any one but myself Of its southern range along the coast 

 I cannot speak, although a fish strongly resembling it is contained in a 

 collection recently received Ifom Georgetown, South Carolina. 



5. PoMOTis CHyETODON, Baird. 



Banded San-Fish. 



• 



Pomotis cluctodon, Baird. — General form sub-circular ; greatest depth 

 of body comprised less than twice its length; dorsal and ventral out- 

 lines regularly convex ; profile descending towards the snout, which is 

 obtuse. The mouth is small ; the eye large, its diameter contained 

 but three times in the length of side of head ; spinous portion of dorsal 

 extending over a base nearly equal to that of the soft portion, and 

 almost as high ; caudal subtruncated posteriori}^ and largely developed, 

 and extending a little more posteriorly than the caudal ; tip of ventrals 

 extending beyond the three anal spines; pectorals rather small, their 

 extremity reaching as far backwards as the ventrals. 



D. X.'ll; A. Ill, 12; C. 4 I. 8, 7, 1.3; V. I. 5; P. 10 or 11. Scales 

 quite large ; lateral line concurrent with the dorsal outline. 



General color dirty white, with clouds of olivaceous ; the tints clearer 

 in smaller specimens ; sides of abdomen silvery. Six well defined ver- 

 tical bands of black on each side, covering each a breadth of two or 

 three scales ; the first passes through the pupil across the cheeks ; the 



