55 



LUTJANUS AYA, {Block) Gill. 

 Yelting; Glass-eyed Snafpejj. 

 Acara aya, Makcgrave, Hist. &c. Brasil, 1648, 167. 

 Bodianas aya, Blocii Ichth. 1797, 33, tab. ccxxvii (on a figure by Prince Maurice). — 



LACi^piiDE, Hist. Nat. Poiss. iv, 1803, 286. 

 Mcsoprion aya, Cuv. & Val., Hist. Nat. Poiss. 11, 1829, 457. — ?Guichenot, Sagra's Hist. 



Nat. Cuba, Poiss. 1845, 24.— Gunther, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. i, 1861, 198. 

 Luljanus aya. Gill,, MS. 

 Bodianus ruber, Schneideij, Bloch, Syst. Nat, ed. 1801, 330. 



Common. It probably breeds, as individuals of all ages occur; tbe 

 largest weigb ten jjounds or more, and are much esteemed as food. Its 

 abrupt profile and large eyes give it a very sparoid appearance; to the 

 latter feature it no doubt owes one of its popular names, a similar epi- 

 thet being applied to the large-eyed Stizostedium americanum, the Wall- 

 eyed or Glass-eyed Pike of the great lakes and the Mississippi Valley. 

 The name " Yeltiug" is very puzzling. 



Color. — Brilliant rose-red, fading in spirits to grayish-olive, with black 

 blotch along the base of the soft dorsal; base of pectoral deep black.* 



"jhe species is peculiarly West Indian. Large specimens are some- 

 times brought in winter to the Washington market, in lots from Florida. 



The Schoolmaster Snapper and Silk Snapper of the fishermen prob- 

 ably belong to this genus. The Spot Snapper and the Yellow-tail cor- 

 respond doubtless to Mesoprion uninotatus (Cuv. & Val.) Gill, and to 

 Ocyurus clirysurus (Bl.) Gill. Lutjanus cynodon (Cuv.) Gill probably also 

 occurs. All these species are peculiarly West Indian. 



SEEEANIDiE. ^ 



TRISOTROPIS UNDULOSUS, {Cuvier) Gill. 



ROCK-FISH. 



Pcrca marina retiennsapunctata'{B,ock-&sh), Catesby, Nat. Hist. Carolina, Florida, and 

 Bahamas, ii, 1743, 1.5, tab. xv.— Cuv. & Val., Hist. Nat. Poiss. ii, 1829, 386. 



Serraniis uridulosus, Cuv. & "Val., op. cit. 295.— GtJ'NTHER, Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. i, 1861, 

 143. 



Ti-isoU-opis uridulosus. Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1865, 105. 



Serranus brunneus, Poey, Mem. Hist. Nat. Cuba ii, 1860, 1314. 



* Dr. Giintber, in the " Synopsis of the Species", which serves as a key to the genus 

 places this and the preceding species under the head " aa. Ground-color olive, with a 

 yellow, green, or hroivn shade." This is certainly very apt to mislead, and illustrates the 

 dif6culty of drawing correct ideas from the study of distorted and discolored museum- 

 Bpecimens. 



