48 PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Family EPHIPPID^. 



104. Chaetodiptenis faber (Blocli) Bleeker. 



Described from San Diego as Ephippus zonatus Grd. I^ot obtained 

 by us. 



Family SCI.E:N^ID^. 



105. Seriphus politus Ayres. — Queen-fish; King-fish. 



From San Francisco southward ; abundant in summer. Found along 

 sandy shores and taken with seines, sometimes in great numbers, nota- 

 bly at Santa Barbara and Soquel. It is considered the best of the 

 small Sci;pi)oids, but is too small to be of very great importance. It 

 reaches a length of 8 inches, but is usually still smaller. 



106. Cynosclon parvipinne Ayres. — Blue-fish; Corvina; Cararina; Sea Bass. 



{Otollthus magdulenw Steiud.) 



From San Pedro southward; very abundant at San Diego. It fre- 

 quents the bays, and is taken in seines and gill-nets. It feeds chiefly 

 on Crustacea. Its flesh is extremely good when fresh, but it soon softens, 

 being similar to that of the weak-fish (C. regale) in that respect. It 

 reaches a length of about 2 feet and a weight of 8 pounds. 



107. Atractoscion nobile (Ayres) Gill. — White Sea Bass ; Sea Bass; Sea Trout (yg.) ; 



Con-iiiu. 



{OtoUlhus californiensis Steind.) 



From San Francisco southward ; very abundant in spring and summer ; 

 not often seen in winter ; only adults usually taken in spring. Caught by 

 trolling and in gill-nets, the young in summer by seines. It reaches a 

 length of 4 feet and a weight of 50 pounds or more. Its flesh is highly 

 esteemed, and is much firmer than that of the eastern weak-fish. The 

 food consists of Crustacea, anchovies, etc. 



The young ("sea trout") is often c(msidered by fishermen as a dis- 

 tinct species. 



108. Menticirrus iindulatiis (Grd.) Gill. — Bagre ; Sucker; Suclcer Bass. 



From Santa Barbara southward; abundant; taken in seined and gill- 

 nets along sandy shores. It reaches a length of 18 inches and a w^eight 

 of 2 J ijounds. It is held in moderate esteem as a food-fish. It feeds 

 largely on Crustacea. Girard's type of Umbrina undulata is a very young 

 specimen of this species. 



109. Umbrina xanti Gill. — YcUow-finncd Eoncador ; Yellow-tail Eoncador. 



From Santa Barbara southward ; generally abundant. Found along 

 sandy shores, and taken in seines and gill-nets. It feeds on Crustacea, 

 squids, etc., and spawns in July. It reaches a length of about a foot 

 and a weight of nearly 2 pounds. It is considered a food-fish of good 

 quality, and many are split and salted at San Pedro. 



