80 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Family BLENNIIDyE 

 GiBBONSiA EviDES (Jordan and Gilbert) 



One specimen 90 mm. long, taken at Ucluelet, July, 1909. Young 

 and Spreadborough, 



Of 52 specimens examined, 38 have the anal rays 23, 24 or 25; 

 all these have dorsal rays 7 or 8, and dorsal spines, following the first 

 five, 28 or 29. The other 14 specimens have anal rays 26 or 27, dorsal 

 spines, after the first five, 30 or 31, and all but our Ucluelet specimen 

 have dorsal rays, 9 or 10. 



The specimens in the U. S. National Museum thus seem to divide 

 naturally into two groups, which may be only of subspecific value, as 

 follows : 



(a) Specimens ranging from San Francisco to San Diego, most 

 common northward. These have D. V., XXX or XXXI, 9 or 10; 

 A. II, 26 or 27. The first five dorsal spines are evenly graduated and 

 the sixth is about twice the fifth. There is little trace of a pellucid 

 area in spinous D. between the third and fourth spines. Where there 

 is a pellucid area in soft D. it occupies about the fifth, sixth or seventh 

 interradial space, and this is very little widened. The soft D. is rather 

 evenly rounded, never angled. The last soft ray is not closely bound 

 to back by fin membrane. This group has a slightly greater tendency 

 toward a colour pattern of horizontal stripes instead of the vertical 

 bars that predominate in the other. 



(6) Specimens ranging from Santa Barbara to San Diego, most 

 common southward. These have D. Ill, XXIX to XXXI or V, 

 XXVII to XXIX, 7 or 8; A. II, 23 to 25. The first three dorsal 

 spines are evenly graduated, followed by a rather wide pellucid inter- 

 space and then by two short spines followed by one about the same 

 height as the ones after it, or two short spines with the third midway 

 in height between them and those following; or all the spines after the 

 interspace about equal in height. A few of these specimens, mostly 

 small ones, have the pellucid area in soft D. very little differentiated 

 and this part of the fin evenly rounded. In the others the rays in 

 front of the pellucid area are distinctly longer and more closely spaced 

 and the rest are evenly graduated. This makes nearly a right angle 

 at about the tip of the third, fourth or fifth soft ray of dorsal. There 

 are three, four or five soft rays closely approximated, followed by three 

 or four rays widely spaced, and with the membrane entirely trans- 

 parent. The last dorsal ray is nearly horizontal and closely bound to 

 the back by the fin membrane. There is a tendency in this group to a 

 greater development of cross bars than of horizontal stripes. 



