572 W. H. LONGLEY 



It may be urged that the fact that these Hsts are incomplete, 

 or may reflect some unconscious prejudice of their compiler, 

 detracts from their significance. But, whatever may be the 

 case regarding the second suggestion, the first is invalid. Farther 

 observation will merely emphasize the disproportionate occur- 

 rence of gray in the two series. Though this is not the dominant 

 color among the heads and close about them, it occurs in both 

 places, as well as upon the open reef. Hence perfect contrast 

 between the two groups may scarcely be anticipated. There- 

 fore, no conclusion seems more legitimate than that we have in 

 the distribution of gray markings and color phases an additional 

 instance of correlation of color with habit among fishes. 



Brown is so common in the environment of the species of both 

 series that it is scarcely worth while attempting to secure definite 

 suggestion regarding its meaning by reexamining them. Other 

 lists might be compiled that would yield results comparable 

 with those above, but their presentation seems unnecessary. 



Wholly aside from the frequent appearance of brown upon the 

 fishes and in their environment, it is interesting to note that 

 many species show a brown phase in its presence. To limit one's 

 choice of examples arbitrarily, the following may be cited from 

 the forms mentioned in table 3: E. morio and striatus, I. bivitta- 

 tus and maculipinna, L. maximus, M. venenosa, Sparisoma abild- 

 gaardi and flavescens, S. barracuda, T. hepatus, N. griseus, and 

 N. apodus. But, if brown may replace gray as an essential 

 self-color, as it does in L. maximus and N. griseus when they 

 change their environment, no functional conspicuousness may 

 be ascribed to either, under the conditions in which it appears. 

 Nor may this be imputed more rationally to any quality of 

 contrast inherent in a combination of the two colors, such as 

 appears in E. striatus (fig. 2) ; for the relative intensity of the 

 two elements in the fish's pattern may vary continuously, as 

 the proportion of light to dark in its environment changes with 

 its change of position. Color photographs alone can convey the 

 impression an observer receives in the field. 



Although those of the common sort seem to show, that the 

 phases at the ends of the graded series are obliterative, since 



