FISH FAUNA. 59 



portions of the fin, and the length of the base of the soft dorsal is five- 

 sevenths of that of the spinous ; the spines are moderately strong, the fourth 

 and fifth equal and highest, five-twelfths of the length of the head, and four- 

 sevenths of the anterior ray, which is elongate ; the margin of the spinous 

 dorsal is convex, that of the soft — with the exception of the anterior ray — 

 straight and gradually descending : the anal is very short ; it commences 

 beneath the second dorsal ray, and ends beneath the ninth ; its spines are 

 strong and acute, the third the longest, two-fifths of the length of the head; 

 the rays are much longer than the spines and than all the dorsal rays except 

 the first: the ventral fins are inserted far back, their origin corresponding 

 to the base of the fifth dorsal spine, and they reach to the vent: their spine 

 is rather shorter than the third of the anal fin, and is five-eighths of the 

 length of the longest ray, which is three-fifths of the length of the head : 

 the pectoral fins are composed of, on one side, seven branched and seven 

 simple rays, on the other, of eight branched and six simple, the latter being 

 probably the normal iliimber ; the ninth ray is the longest, nine-tenths of 

 the length of the head, and two-fifths longer than the longest-branched ray, 

 the remaining simple rays grow gradually shorter : the caudal fiu is slightly 

 rounded, and measui'es five and three-fourths in the total length. The 

 scales are cycloid, firmly adherent, large on the body and opercle, but minute 

 on the cheeks, throat, and bases of the fins. The late^^al line is almost 

 straight, and its tubes are slightly branched. Colcrs. — The head is rich brown 

 with numerous round crimson black-edged spots, about two-thirds of the 

 size of a body scale ; the body is pale yellowish-brown with six . broad dark 

 brown bands which almost totally obliterate the ground color superiorly, 

 but are discontinued on the lower third of the sides, while many of the 

 scales above the lateral line are crimson, occasionally even forming short 

 longitudinal bars, and in front of the bases of the pectorals there are 

 several spots similar to those on the head ; the spinous portion of the dorsal 

 fin is mottled with black, crimson, and grey; the soft is light-colored with a 

 broad black basal band, and indications of a dusky median longitudinal band 

 more pronounced posteriorly ; the anal fin is reddish brown ; the ventral 

 fins are crimson on the inner side, while the pectoral rays are crimson, with 

 the intervening membrane grey ; the base of the caudal is crimson, the 

 remainder grey, and it is ornamented with two rows of oblong black spots. 



Mr. Saunders, who obtained a single specimen of this superb fish by hook 

 in deep water, tells me that it was quite unknown to the islanders ; it 

 measures eight and a quarter inches. Eegister number, I. 1,841. 



CHILODACTTLUS, Lacepkle. 



Chilodacttlus yittattjs, Garr. 



Although Mr. Saunders was fortunate enough to secure a dozen examples 

 of this species, some of which are a foot in length, he states that they were 

 hardly known to the inhabitants. All his specimens were taken from rock- 

 pools far out on the reefs at very low tides. 



SCORP^NIDiE. 



SCOEP.ENA, Artedi. 



ScoEP^isrA cooKi, Gnth. 



Abundant, and considered very good eating by the islanders, who call it 

 the " Sandy Bay Cod "; it grows to over a foot in length, and is taken in 

 large numbers with hand-lines off the rocks. 



