EDWIN CHAPIN STARKS 69 



eye is longer than the snout, contained 3^ times in the head, and is two-fifths 

 longer than the interorbital space. The mouth is very oblique. The maxil- 

 lary reaches to under the middle of the eye, and is half of the length of the 

 head. The teeth are in very narrow bands, with the outer ones enlarged and 

 curved. The length of the dorsal spines is extremely variable, the longest 

 spines reaching in one specimen nearly to the posterior end of the soft dorsal ; 

 in another to opposite the middle of the soft dorsal, and in another only a 

 little past its front. The fin formula is, dorsal VII-18; anal 17. The 

 pectoral is wide and broadly rounded, and its tip reaches a little past the 

 front of the soft dorsal. The ventral scarcely reaches to the anal. The 

 caudal terminates in a rather narrow point, much sharper than shown in the 

 picture of Microgobiiis meeki. Its length is equal to the base of the anal, 

 and is contained 2^ times in the length of the body. The scales number 

 from 45 to 48 and are finely ctenoid. The head and body anterior to the 

 front of the spinous dorsal are naked. 



The head and body are uniform dusky bluish, very slightly lighter 

 below. The color consists of rather coarse dots. Just behind the head and 

 above the pectoral is a rounded black spot encircled with a dark bar around 

 its upper part, leaving a light ring between. The fins are uniform bluish, 

 with the ventral sometimes very dark, and the soft dorsal, anal, ventral, and 

 caudal with a narrow white margin. 



Three specimens were collected, from \]/^ to 1^ inches in length, in the 

 rock pools at Natal. This species is related to Microgobiiis eulepis Eigen- 

 mann and Eigenmann and Microgobius meeki Evermann and Marsh. It dif- 

 fers from the former in having ctenoid scales, a compressed form, and in 

 color. From the latter it differs in having a much smaller mouth, and a 

 longer, more pointed caudal. 



Family ECHENEIDID^. 

 213. Remora remora (Linnaeus). 

 A specimen taken at Natal. 



Family MALACANTHID.E. 



214. Malacanthus plumieri (Bloch). 



One large specimen, 18 inches in length, was collected at Natal. The 

 interorbital space is twice as wide as the eye, which is contained 7 times in the 

 head. In a specimen from Cuba, 9 inches long, the eye is contained \yz 

 times in the interorbital space, or 5^ times in the head. 



