328 PRISTIPOMATTBvE. 



a. Half- grown. China. Presented by Sir J. Richardson. 



b. Half-grown. Japan. Purchased of Mr. Frank. 



c. Half-grown. ArabojTia. Purchased of Mr. Frank. 



d. Half- grown. 



e. Young. From the Haslar Collection. 

 /, g. Half- grown : dried : not good state. 



There can be no doubt that the fish described by Dr. Cantor as 

 Plectorhynchus halteatus belongs to the tj^iical form of Diagramma 

 pictiim. He appears to have been misled by his specimens exhibiting 

 twenty-three rays of the dorsal, and the length of the second dorsal 

 spine being contained | in the depth of the body, which is really 

 more in accordance with Cuv^er's description of Diagromma halteatum. 

 But, on the other hand, the coloration is exactly the same as in D. 

 pictum, and differing from D. balteatum ; and Cuvier does not men- 

 tion anything about the height of the dorsal spines of D. jjidum. In 

 fact, the height of these spines appears to vary very much ; and I 

 fully believe that D. balteatum is a variety of D. pictum, so that Dr. 

 Cantor's mistake appears to be of no great consequence. 



Var. A. 



h, i. Adult. Madras. Presented by J. C. Jcrdon, Esq. 



I consider these two specimens as a variety of D. pictum. The 

 form of the body is the same, the second anal spine three-fifths of 

 the height of the body. Six white longitudinal bands on each side : 

 the first as in the typical specimens ; the second (additional) narrow 

 and short from the crown of the head, lost on the anterior third of 

 the body ; the third like the second in the tjq^e ; the fourth (addi- 

 tional) from tiio middle of the eye to the root of the caiidal ; the 

 fifth and sixth like the third and fourth in the type. On the dorsal 

 the white band of the soft portion is continued on the spinous ; the 

 membrane between the first three spines white ; on the other fins 

 the black colour predominates ; pectorals colourless. These speci- 

 mens have nine dorsal spines. 



Var. B. Diagramma balteatum. 



Diagramma balteatum, (Kuhl ^- v. Hass.) Cuv. ^ Vol. v. p. 316. 

 D.!S. A.f 



The height of the body is 85 in the total length, the length of the 

 head 4i. The dorsal fin is slightly notched, and the second spine is 

 I as high as the body. Caudalis convex. Belly yellowish ; back 

 and sides brown, with a white spot beneath the first three dorsal 

 spines. One white band from above the eye to the upper half of the 

 caudal ; the remainder of the caudal black. Dorsal black, with a 

 white longitudinal band along the middle, and with the posterior 

 part white. 



Sea of Java. 



k, I. Half-grown. China or Borneo? Presented by Sir Kdward 

 Belcher. 



