314 REPORT OF NEW JERSEY STATE MUSEUM. 
and 13 according to description; pectoral 13 on figure, 15 in de- 
scription; ventral I, 6 on figure and 6 in description; snout 3% 
on figure, measured from tip of upper jaw; eye about 6; maxillary 
2%; first dorsal spine 3; sixth dorsal ray about 114; third anal 
spine about 37%; eighth anal ray about 17%; least depth of caudal 
peduncle 2% ; caudal about 1% ; pectoral 1% ; ventral spine 134; 
first ventral ray 134; branchiostegals 6. Body rather oblong. 
Head rather small. Snout rather elongated. Eyes rather small. 
Mouth moderate. Lower jaw rather jutting, and acutely toothed. 
Upper jaw also armed with a row of sharp teeth. ‘Tongue broad, 
smooth, with clouded edges. A dark membrane of semi-lunar 
form inside mouth, immediately within teeth of lower jaw. 
Near extremity of latter 4 bronzed spots. Gill-cover tripartite, 
scaly. Posterior edge of foremost lamina strongly aculeated, 
almost spinous. A bony plate with serrated edge behind gill- 
opening. Another with similar edge above gill-opening. A 
knob or gibbosity in front of dorsal fin. Lateral line bending 
upward, somewhat irregularly at first, then with an easy slope to 
tail. Scales forma firm coating. First XI radii of dorsal spinous, 
rather ramentose. Posterior radii of dorsal and anal much 
lengthened to resemble caudal, giving appearance somewhat of 
3 tails. First III anal radii spinous, also first of ventral. Ventral 
fin stout and strong. Pectoral delicate and weak. Tail convex 
and rounded. Color of back and sides rusty-black. Belly dirty 
clay variegated with blackish and yellowish specks. Dull yellow 
behind eye above gill-cover, along insertion of dorsal, beginning 
of lateral line, and under pectoral. Dorsal, anal and ventral 
tinted yellowish amid inky suffusion. Pectoral pale, semi-trans- 
parent or very faintly yellow. Whitest part of fish below pec- 
toral. Iris purple or amethystine color. Length 13% inches. 
July 23d, 1814. Along Jersey shore, near Prowles-Hook. 
. (Mitchill.) 
A large food-fish, reaching 3 feet in length, of sluggish habit, 
and usually a straggler on our coast from tropical America. The 
young are quite unlike the adult. I have not seen any New Jersey 
examples. 
Lobotes surinamensis Abbott, Geol. N. J., 1868, p. 810. 
Bodianus triourus Mitchill, Tr. Lit. Philos. Soc. N. Y., I, 
Fol S$, pv & ls Sy. Tee 2. 
