PROCEEDINGS OF UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 71 



"Upper surface of Lead spineless;" "tbe posterior extremity of the 

 maxillary, very much dilated, extends to a vertical line drawn inwardly 

 to the posterior rim of the orbit." " The pectorals arc broad • * * * 

 the tip of these fins extends almost as fiir as the tip of the ventrals.'' 

 *' The upper surface of the head and of the dorsal region above the lat- 

 eral line are almost blaclj, or else of a purplish black. The side of the 

 body is yellowish, with an irregular ])urpli8h black spot upon nearly all. 

 the scales. The side of the head is of a lighter purplish black. The 

 inferior region is of a soiled yellow, though of a metallic hue. The fins 

 are unicolor, of dark purple tint." The " Peche Pi etre" has a preorbital 

 protuberance, which usually ends in a spine; the "Black Bass" has 

 neither protuberance nor spine. The mouth is smaller in the "Peche 

 Pretre", the maxillary barely extending to the posterior margin of the 

 jiupil. The pectoral tins are longer in the "Peche Pretre", extending 

 past the tips of the ventrals; in the other not so iar. And, finally, omit- 

 ting the expression " purplish ", which scarcely applies to any rock-fish, 

 the account of the color describes the " Black Bass", but not the "Peche 

 Pretre". 



Furthermore, the original f ype of Girard's description, the large speci- 

 men from Astoria, is still preserved in the National Museum, and its 

 identity with the species formerly called by us S. simulans is undoubted. 

 The original type of the name Scbastosomus simulans is also preserved. 

 It belongs to the same species, differing only in having the lower oper- 

 cular spine somewhat less conspicuous than usual. The northern fisb, 

 the "Black Bass" of Puget Sound, must, therefore, retain the name of 

 Sebastichthys melanops, of which name simulans is a synonym, while the 

 " Peche Pretre " may receive the new name of Sebastichthys mystinus. Se- 

 bastichthys ciliatus [Epinc][.helus ciliatus Tilesius = Perca variabilis Pallas) 

 is related to both species, but distinct from both, having the black i^erito- 

 neum of mystinus, but lacking the bulge of the preorbital region. The 

 mouth is larger than in mystinus^ but smaller than in melanops, while 

 the coloration is different from both. 



DESCRIPTION OF SEBASTICHTHYS MYSTINUS. 



Body oval-oblong, compressed, both dorsal and ventral outline evenly 

 curved. Head conic, compressed, the profile almost straight. Mouth 

 comparatively small, oblique, the lower jaw protruding; mouth entirely 

 below the axis of the body; i)remaxillaries on the line of the lower rim 

 of the orbit; maxillary thickly scaled, reaching to opposite posterior 

 margin of i)upil; mandible scaly. 



Top of head without spines, with the exception of the very small 

 nasal pair, and sometimes a preocular j^air ; the interorbital space per- 

 fectly arched, and the entire top of the head covered with very small, 

 crowded scales ; the preocular ridge forming a projection over the upper 

 anterior angle of the orbit. The forehead between the preocular ridges 

 is notably full and convex. The occijntal ridge forms two slightly dl- 



