60 



spots confined to the head and anterior part of the body ; others are 

 red, slightly dingy above, and thickly studded throughout with black 

 dots, each of which has a blue center. The specimens examined were 

 not very fresh ; and, from the rapidity with which the colors change, I 

 can readily believe that in life they were as brilliant as is indicated in 

 the description of Cuvier.* The yellow form corresponds to the typical 

 Perca punctata or Serramis gtiaiivere, and is known as the Butter-fish or 

 Yellow Coney; the red form corresponds to Serramis ouatalibi, and is 

 known as the Nigger-fish. 



Professor Poey suggests that the former inhabits shallow and the 

 latter deep waters, and thus explains the variations of color. These 

 would seem, however, to depend more upon the color of the bottom 

 than upon the depth. On the coast of Maine, the bright-red variety of 

 the Cod {Gadus morrhua, Linne) is found only on bottoms covered with 

 lied Algse, such as Ftilota serrata, Delesseria sinuosa, and Rhodymenia 

 palmata. 



The names Butter-fish and Nigger-fish are in use also at Barbados, 

 Saint Thomas, and the Bahamas, as applied to this and an allied species. 

 The first refers to the color and soft, oily feeling of the yellow variety; 

 the latter probably also to color. 



The Black Hind, Prickly Hind, and Black Coney are probably allied 

 species, but not having seen them I can only surmise their character. 



A " Soap-fish " also occurs, probably either Rhypticus saponaceus 

 (Bloch) Cuvier, or Promicropterus maculatus (Holbrook) Gill. 



HYPOPLECTEUS PUELLA, (Cuvier) Gill. 



Cataphebe. 



Plectropoma puella, Cuv. & Val., Hist. Nat. Poiss. ii, 1829, 405, pi. xxsvii. — Guiche- 



NOT, Sagra's Hist. Nat. Cuba, Poiss, 1845, 18.— Storer, Syn. Fish. N. Am. 



1846, 81.— Poey, Mem. Hist. Nat. Cuba, i, 1852, 62, lam. ix, f. 2.— Guntiier, 



Cat. Fish. Brit. Mus. 1, 1861, 165. 

 Bypoplectrus puella, Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. 1862, 236.— Poey, Rep. Fis.-Nat. 



Cuba, ii, 1868, 290. 

 Plectropoma vitiiUnum, Poey, Mem. Hist. Nat. Cuba, i, 1852, 68. 



Common in the rock-pools ; recorded also from Martinique and Ja- 

 maica. My specimen measures three inches. The name seems to be 

 peculiar to Bermuda, audits origin is not apparent. 



Color. — Olive, with six violet-black cross-bands ; the third very broad 

 and conspicuous and below the fourth and tenth dorsal spines. A /ine 

 * Cuvier and Valenciennes, Histoire Naturelle des Poissons, ii, 38^ 



