198 Annals of the Carnegie Museum. 



49. Liparis dennyi Jordan and Starks. 

 This species is the most abundant liparid about the San Juan 

 Islands. Many specimens were taken in the dredge. The skin is very 

 thin and tender, and they were more difficult than any other species to 

 preserve in either alcohol or formalin. L. dennyi may be known from 

 all others of its genus on our coast except L. Jucensis by the very wide 

 gill-opening, extending down to about the tenth pectoral ray from the 

 top. From L. Jucensis it may be distinguished by the broader attach- 

 ment of the dorsal and anal to the caudal, and by the more robust 

 body. 



50. Liparis pulchellus Ayres. 



A dozen small specimens were taken in the dredge. The dorsal 

 and anal are more broadly joined to the caudal than in any other 

 west coast species. They join the caudal without a notch and together 

 form a continuous fin around the tail. The caudal appears pointed 

 in preserved material, when it is not spread. 



Family BATHYMASTERID.E. 

 51. Ronquilus jordani (Gilbert). 

 This species is not very rare, and a number of specimens were taken 

 in deep water. Among them there is an astonishing variation in color, 

 which, however, does not vary with surroundings as stated by Jordan 

 and Evermann (Bull. 47, U. S. Nat. Mus., p. 2289), as both extremes 

 of variation frequently occurred in the same haul of the dredge. 

 Some specimens have the anal and ventrals, and the lower half of the 

 pectorals jet-black. The gradation from this to entire absence of 

 color on these fins is perfect. The specimens with dark lower fins 

 have the dorsal and anal rays (the other fin-rays do not vary mate- 

 rially) much longer than in those with light lower fins. These would 

 appear to be sexual differences, were it not for the fact that there is 

 nearly as complete a gradation between the long- and short-rayed 

 forms, as there is between those having light and those having dark fins. 

 A slight break will, however, be noticed, above which the dorsal rays 

 run from fourteen to eighteen hundredths of length, and below from ten 

 to twelve. There is no break in color at this place. There is consid- 

 erable variation in the shade of the body-color, but this is apparently 

 not correlated with the other characters, except that there are no very 

 dark-bodied individuals with perfectly colorless lower fins, though 

 light-bodied specimens may have black fins. 



