496 PUOCEEDINGS OF UNITKD STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



from 4 to 20 or more of tlie scales. Cheeks and opercles scaled. Eegion 

 ill front of pectoral and ventral fins sometimes scaled and sometimes 

 naked. 



The fin-rays are, D. IX, 11 (10) ; A. I, 7 or 8. The dorsals are sepa- 

 rated by a distance eqnal to one-half the length of the head, or more. 

 The spinous dorsal is five-sevenths as long as the head, and fonr-fifths 

 as high as loug. The soft dorsal has about the same dimensions. The 

 anal is eqnal to one-half the head in length and height. 



In color this species is of a pale greenish yellow, with many blotches 

 and zigzag markings of brown. There is a row of about ten of these 

 blotches oil each side, most distinct on the caudal pednncles. Also 

 there are about eight square brown spots along the dorsal region. Top 

 of the head, a spot on the operculum, -and another below the eye, dark; 

 a line of the same color, but more distinct, from the eye to the snout. 



Length of the largest specimen 1^ inches. 



This sjiecies appears to be widely distributed, as I obtained it at (Jor- 

 inth in a small stream that flows into the Tuscumbia, at Artesia in Sandy 

 Creek, and at Macon in Ilorsehunter Creek. 



The characters of this species appear to agree in many respects vvith 

 those of Boleosoma gracile, Girard, described in the Proc. Acad. Nat. 

 Sci. Phiia. 1859, 103. Girard's specimens were from Southwest Texas. 

 In B. gracile, however, the spinous dorsal is described as being longer 

 and lower than the soft dorsal, and the anal as being much deeper than 

 long, Avhich statements do not well apjdy to BoJeichtliys chlorosnma. I 

 am also informed by Professor Jordan that the jaw of i>'. gracile is non- 

 protractile. 



The species that I have above described belongs to Professor Jor- 

 dan's genus Vaillantia (Bull. U. S. Xat. Mus. Xo. 12, 89), the type of 

 which is Boleosoma camurum, Forbes. From that species it difiers, 

 among other things, in having the two dorsals widely separated. In B. 

 camurnm they are contiguous. 



Genus MICEOPERCA, Putnam. 



10. Microperca prceliaris, Hay, sp. nov. (No. 27,418.) 



The species about to be described may possibly belong to the genus 

 Bolcichtlnjs. 1 have but a single specimen, which has a total length of 

 1.^ inches. It was obtained at Corinth, and was at first supposed to be 

 a specimen of V. chlorosoma. 



The body is rather short and stout, the depth being contained in the 

 length a little more than 4 times. Behind the vent the body becomes 

 contracted into the caudal peduncle, which is compressed and contained 

 in the length of the body o times. Its median depth is one-third its 

 length. 



The head is contained in the length 4 times. The snout conical and 

 liointed. The jaws are equal, the upper not protractile; the mouth 



