136 PEKCID^. 



Skeleton. — That part of the upper surface of the head which is 

 formed by the supraoccipital and the posterior part of the frontal 

 bones is shghtly elevated and rounded on both sides, there being a 

 rather deep gi-oove between those ridges which run from the orbit 

 to the articulations of the si;prascapula ; the interior of these ridges 

 is elevated behind, becoming inconspicuous near the orbit. The 

 upper anterior branch of the supraoccipital crest is low, and does not 

 exceed the supraoccipital bone ; there is on each side a similar ad- 

 ditional crest, arising from the body of the paroccipital one. The 

 space between the orbits is narrow, with a shght median groove. 

 The maxiUary bone exhibits a nearly straight superior edge, the 

 inferior being irregularly concave and angular. The operculum 

 with three distinct, nearly equidistant points, the upper of which is 

 smallest, the middle longest and veiy prominent ; the posterior edge 

 of the prieoperculum finely sen-ated, with rather stronger denticu- 

 lations at the angle ; the lower edge entire, with a longitudinal 

 groove ; the suboperculum entire, produced behind into a long soft 

 point ; the interoperculum with one or tw'o inconspicuous denticula- 

 tions. The dentition is verj- similar to that of S. taniops ; there is 

 a pair of strong, but short canines in each jaw. I cannot decide 

 whether another pair, not perfectly developed, between the upper 

 canines, are merely the successors of the latter, or whether they wiU 

 form a second separate pair of canines. A similar paii", also not 

 perfectly developed, are to be seen in the lower jaw, but at the outside 

 of the canines which are in function. The fii'st interhsemal spine is 

 long and strong, equal to the length of the second to the eighth (in- 

 clusive) vertebra, and attached to the haemal spine of the tenth 

 vertebra ; it corresponds to the first and second dermohsemal, there 

 being no separate intorhaemal for the fii'st ; but this strong inter- 

 hsemal generally exhibits a prominent longitudLnal ridge along its 

 anterior sivrface, and I consider this ridge to be the interhsemal pro- 

 perly belonging to the first dermohsemal, being a separate bone in an 

 earlier period of life, but aftei-wards united with that of the second. 



84. Serranus horridus. 



Serranus horridus, (Kuhl 8f r. Hass.) Cuv.^-J'al. ii. p. 321; Bleeker, 

 Fere. p. 3G ; Cantor, Catnl. p. 9. 



D -11. A.^. 



CaudaUs rounded ; head nearly one-tliird of the total length ; eye 

 nearly one-seventh of the length of the head. Sub- and interopercu- 

 lum entire ; prfeoperculum with roiuided angle and a fine, but distinct 

 serrature ; the third dorsal spine to the eleventh nearly equal in 

 height, and much shorter than the soft dorsal fin. The upper max- 

 illary reaches beyond the posterior margin of the eye. Upper profile 

 of the head rather concave. Brown, largely mai'bled ^\'ith blackish 

 brown ; head, body, and fins with roundish brownish-black spots. 



Javanese Sea ; Sea of Pinang. 



One stuffed specimen in the Collection of the East Incha House. 



