1. CH^TODON. 15 



obliquely situated ; the former is small, the latter broader anteriorly 

 than posteriorly. The suprascapula is firmly joined to the bones of the 

 skull: the hiunerus is very developed, sword-shaped, and reaches down- 

 wards to the ventrals: the coracoid is exceedingly broad, and especially 

 the cavity for the muscles of the pectoral fin ; this cavity is rather 

 shallow. There is a very small cleft between the ulna and coracoid. 

 The lamellae of the pubic bones are nearly equally developed; the lower 

 is posteriorly swollen for the articulation with the ventral spine. 



There are ten abdominal and fourteen caudal vertebrce, the length 

 of the former portion of the vertebral column being to that of the 

 caudal as 1 : 1-35. The ribs are strong and broad, and provided at 

 the base with epipleural spines. The longest neural and hsemal 

 spines are those of the middle vertebrae, and the latter are longer 

 than the former. There . are two spurious intemeurals, which are 

 received in a fork, formed by the occipital crest ; they are pro\dded 

 superiorly with a spine, directed forw^ards, and covering the crest like 

 tiles. Each neural and iatemeural spine belonging to' the spinous 

 dorsal is dilated into a transparent lamella, firmly joined to the spine 

 next to it. The haemal spine of the second caudal vertebra is the strong- 

 est, compressed, and partially united with the spines of the first and 

 third caudal vertebrae. In a similar way, the interhaemals of the anal 

 spines are anchylosed together and with the corresponding haemals. 



The skeleton from which the above description is taken appears 

 to have been that of a very old fish. 



22. Chsetodon omatissimus. 



Cheetodon omatissimus, {Solander) Cuv. ^ Val. vii. p. 22 ; Less. Voy. 



Coq. Zool. ii. p. 179. pi. 30. f. 1 (not good) ; Bleek. Act. Soc. Nederl. 



ii. Amboina, p. 55. 

 Chsetodon omatus, Gray, Zool. Miscell. p. 33, and in Griff. Anim. 



Kingd. X. p. 323. pi. 20. 



D-W A.^. L.lat.55. L. transv. 1?. 



The snout is a little pointed, and rather shorter than the diameter 

 of the eye ; praeoperculum minutely denticulated ; th« dorsal and 

 anal fins rounded posteriorly. Head with six black vertical bands, 

 edged with yellow : the first across the lower lip ; the second round 

 the snout ; the third through the eye ; the fourth across the praeoper- 

 culum, continued into a line running below, and parallel to tho 

 margin of the dorsal fin ; the fifth from the suprascapula over the 

 operculum to the suboperculum ; the sixth veiy narrow, along the 

 opercular membrane. Body with seven oblique, yellow longitudinal 

 bands, the five upper of which terminate at the base of the dorsal fin ; 

 the sixth to the back of the tail ; the seventh to the anal fin. The 

 soft dorsal with a black edge, besides the black line ; the anal with 

 black,, yellow and black marginal bands ; caudal with a black cross- 

 band near the base and near the posterior margin; ventrals yellowish. 



From the Molucca Sea to Polynesia. 



a. Adult : stufted. Sandwich Islands. Purchased. — Type of Ch. 



