22 BERYCID^. 



violet-brownish cross-band ; caudal fin above and beneath white- 

 edged, and each lobe with a violet-brownish longitudinal streak. 

 Red Sea ; AmbojTia. 



a. Half-grown : stuffed. Red Sea. From the Frankfort Museum. 

 h. Adult. India. From Mr. Frank's Collection. 

 <•, d. Adult. India. 



b. Myripristis adustus. 



Bleeher, Amboinu, iii. p. 18. 



^- 1*^ I fs- ^- 71^- ^- ^^*- '^^-^^- Vert. 11/15. 



The height of the body is 3^ in the total length, the length of the 

 head 3|- ; the interspace between the eyes is one-fourth of the latter. 

 The upper maxillary bone reaches to behind the middle of the ej-e ; 

 operculum with a short feeble spine. Pectoral reaching a little 

 beyond the ventral to the level of the tenth scale of the lateral Une. 

 The third anal spine stronger, but rather shorter, than the fourth. 

 Above reddish-violet, scales with a violet edge ; gill-opening and 

 base of the pectoral black ; the spinous dorsal violet ; the other 

 vertical fins rose-coloiu'ed, with broad black tips. 



Sea of Amboyna. 

 a, h, c, d. Adult. Amboyna. From Mr. Frank's Collection. 

 e, f. Adult. Sine patria. From Mr. Frank's Collection, 

 f/. Half-gro^mi. Amboyna. From Mr. Frank's Collection. 



Skeleton. — The bones forming the roof of the skull are so closely 

 attached to one another and show such continuous ridges, that it 

 is nearly impossible to point out the sutiu'es between the single 

 bones withoiit separating them altogether. The supraoccipital crest 

 is limited to the posterior part, without extending on its upper 

 surface. There are two principal ridges longitudinally rmming 

 along the middle of the interspace between the eyes. Lea\-ing pos- 

 teriorly a narrow cavity between them, they are close side by side 

 anteriorly, and then diverge to form a short triangular groove for 

 the posterior processes of the intermaxillary bones. Between each 

 of these ridges and the orbit is an elongate cavity, tapering at both 

 ends ; the longer posterior part belongs to the principal frontal 

 bone, the shorter anterior to the turbinal ; both the tiu'binal bones 

 receive between them the short groove for the processes of the 

 intermaxillaries ; from about the middle of the upper part of the 

 orbit arises another ridge, similar to those mentioned, and rimning 

 backwards soon radiates into branches, which again bifurcate and 

 form the fan-like expansion characteristic of the species of Myri- 

 pristis and Holocentrum. 



The maxillary bone is styhform in its mner half, then suddenly 

 widens into a broad plate, with an acute angle behind and a roimded 

 one in front; the latter is fumishcd with several granular pro- 

 minences ; the supplementary bone is oblong, about four times as 

 long as broad, and has a styliform upper process. The inter- 

 maxillaries arc separated from one another by a small notch, they 



