266 YOUNG SPECIMENS OF CENTROLOPHUS POMPILUS. 



Ital. Peso.), in whicli the colours are shown nearly as dark as those 

 met with in British specimens. Indeed, the colours in my own 

 specimens bear a closer resemblance to those in Bonaparte's figure 

 than to the condition described by Couch, and the dull neutral hue 

 shown in his figure (British Fishes, vol. ii, pi. xc) is altogether 

 wanting, though the example from which it was drawn was about 

 the same size as my own. Of the uniform bi'own colour, stated by 

 Day (Fish. Gt. Brit., vol. i, p. 112) to be usual in this species, there 

 is no trace ; but Buckland's description is fairly applicable. 



The following notes were taken before the fish were placed in 

 spirit. In the two larger specimens the head is a very dark violet- 

 grey above, minute lighter specks marking the muciferous pores ; 

 between the eye and the upper jaw the colour is sapphire blue,* 

 due to irridescence, with grey pores. Similarly, the under side of 

 the head is blue, dark grey bands marking the course of the hyoid 

 and the edge of the opercular membrane. The iris is white, 

 speckled with grey, becoming yellowish towards its inner margin, 

 and grey towards the circumference. The gill covers are dark 

 violet-grey with lighter streaks. The body is a violet black along 

 the dorsal region, shading very gradually to a silver grey ventrally, 

 almost white on the ventral surface of the abdomen. Small ovoidal 

 silver-grey flecks occur on the sides above and below the lateral line, 

 most abundantly in the deepest region of the fish, ^. e. at about the 

 level of the commencement of the dorsal fin. In the largest of 

 the two specimens these flecks are very faintly marked. 



The dorsal fin is black, dotted with minute grey specks about 

 the base, due to the fact that the scales covering this region are 

 grey with black edges. No such conspicuously lighter baud, as is 

 shown in Day's figure (op. cit., pi. xl, fig. 2), occurs in any of 

 my specimens. The base of the pectoral is grey, the distal region 

 black. The pelvic has black rays, and a bluish-grey membrane. 

 In the anal, the basal region is silver grey, shading into black at the 

 distal margin. 



The colours of the two smaller specimens agree generally with 

 the above description, but are paler. In one, the greater part of 

 the body below the lateral line is silver grey. There is no blue 

 iridiscence on the cheeks of either, and the lower jaw is very pale 

 and lacks the darker bands. The flecks on the sides are more 

 plainly marked than in the larger specimens, and are probably of a 

 transitory nature, disappearing as the fish increases in size. Day 

 notes that these markings, which he describes as yellow, are absent 

 in some specimens, but does not mention the sizes of the fish he 

 * Couch notes that whilst he was drawing his specimen the side on which it was laid 

 turned to a fine blue. 



