328 rUISTlPOMATlD^. 



a. Half-grown. China. Presented by Sir J. Kichardson. 

 h. Hall'-grown. Japan. Purchased of Mr. Frank. 



c. Half-grown. AmbojTia. Purchased of Mr. Frank. 



d. Half-grown. 



e. Young. From the Haslar Collection. 

 /, (J. Half-grown : dried : not good state. 



There can be no doubt that the fish described by Dr. Cantor as 

 Plectorhynclms halteatus belongs to the typical form of Diagramma 

 pictum. He appears to have been misled by his specimens exhibiting 

 twenty-three rays of the dorsal, and the length of the second dorsal 

 spine being contained | in the depth of the body, which is really 

 more in accordance Avith Cuvier's description of Diagramma balteatum. 

 But, on the other hand, the coloration is exactly the same as in D. 

 pictiim, and differing from D. balteatum ; and Cuvier does not men- 

 tion anything about the height of the dorsal spines of D. pictum. In 

 fact, the height of these spines appears to vary very much ; and I 

 fully believe that D. haUeatum is a variety of D. pictum, so that Dr. 

 Cantor's mistake appears to be of no great consequence. 



Var. A. 



h, i. Adult. Madras. Presented by J. C. Jerdon, Esq. 



I consider these two specimens as a variety of D. pictum. The 

 form of the body is the same, the second anal spine three-fifths of 

 the height of the body. Six white longitudinal bands on each side : 

 the first as in the tj-pical specimens ; the second (additional) narrow 

 and short from the crown of the head, lost on the anterior third of 

 the body ; the third like the second in the tj-jje ; the fourth (addi- 

 tional) from the middle of the eye to the root of the caudal ; the 

 fifth and sixth like the third and fourth in the type. On the dorsal 

 the white band of the soft portion is continued on the spinous ; the 

 membrane between the first three spines white ; on the other fins 

 the black colour predominates ; pectorals colourless. These speci- 

 mens have nine dorsal spines. 



Var. B. DiAGEAMMA BALTEATUM. 



Diagramma balteatum, (Kuhl ^- r. Zff/w.) Cia\ Sc Val. v. p. 316. 

 D.i5. A.f 



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

 head 41. The dorsal fin is slightly notched, and the second spine is 

 I as high as the body. C!audalis convex. Belly yellowish ; back 

 and sides brown, with a white spot beneath the first three dorsal 

 spines. One white band from above the eye to the upper half of the 

 caudal ; the remainder of the caudal black. Dorsal black, with a 

 white longitudinal band along the middle, and with the posterior 

 part white. 



Sea of Java. 



k\ I. Half-grown. China or Borneo? Presented by Sii' Edward 

 Belcher. 



