280 TROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



spine upon tbe dorsal crest, by its oblique profile, and hy the hexagonal 

 or irregular black ring with large yellowish centre which is plainly visi- 

 ble upon each plate of the back and the flanks ; while Ostracion Grono- 

 vii is easily recognized by the greater length of the frontal and preanal 

 spines, by the absence of the median dorsal spine, and by the very oblique 

 profile of the snout. Ostracion tricorniSj Linn., which appears to be 

 identical with the species described by Hollard as Ostracion maculatus, 

 is marked by its nearly vertical profile and by longitudinal brown bands 

 upon the cheeks. Ostracion guineensis is marked by the subvertical 

 profile of 0. tricorniSj but has cheeks without bands, and the plates of 

 the carapace ornamented with a central oceUa of pearl color or blue." 



The largest specimens, or the two types 0. quadricornis and " 0. macu- 

 latus,''^ in the Paris Museum, had, according to Hollard, the following 

 dimensions : 



0, quadricornis. 0. maculatus, 



M. M. 



Total leugth 0.400 0.390 



Height 0.150* 0.120 



Cephalic region 0.065 0.050 



Tail-stem 0.060 0.080 



Caudal 0.080 0.080 



Abdominal width 0.090 



The presence of plates upon the caudal peduncle is apparently acci- 

 dental. They may possibly have some relation to sex, but certainly 

 none to age. Out of fourteen specimens examined five had plates above 

 and below, one had two above, and six had none. In none of the speci- 

 mens can I distinguish traces of the spine in the middle of the dorsal 

 ridge mentioned by Dr. Gliuther. The color of young specimens is well 

 described by Giinther ; the bands on the cheek are, however, of a bright 

 blue. Adult specimens are colored in a rich bright blue or green, lighter 

 in the centre of each hexagonal plate, giving the appearance of annular 

 markings, which quickly vanishes after death. In some individuals the 

 color is worn from the ridges of the carapace, leaving patches of light 

 brown. Bleeker claimed for his species Ostracion notacantUns a peculiar 

 system of coloration, but it is in nowise difl'erent from that of the ordi- 

 nary type of 0. quadricornis. i The largest specimens are 21 inches 

 long. 



In the Bermudas the Cow-fish is, I was told, much esteemed for food, 

 and is frequently baked whole in its shell. The popuhir name, like the 

 Cuban ^'■toro'''' and the Jamaican "cuckold," refers to the two horn-like 

 supraorbital spines. 



* Misprinted 0.015. 



t "Mais en outre le systfeme de coloration de I'esp^ce que je crois nouvelle est trfes dif- 

 ferent, chaque bouclier de la tete, du dos et des flancs 6taut om€ d'un anneau violet ou 

 noiratre d'une forme hexagone, pentagone, quadrangulaire ou meme ronde, et ii centre 

 large orange ou rouge^tre. On ne volt rien de pareil sur le corps du quadricornis. 

 Puis encore, la queue est brunS,tre et a taches jauuatres et les pectorales ont un rayon 

 de plus. Je nomme cette especo nouvelle Ostracion uotacanthns." — M6moire sur 1© 

 Poissons de la Cdte de Guiu6e par P. Bleeker, p. '21. 



