9 



Of the Rock Fish which have been de- 

 scribed in this communication and the one 

 preceding, S. ruber is the most important 

 commercially ; it la consumed in large quan- 

 tities daily, and is like the others, an excel- 

 lent fish. 5. nebulosus is less numerous, 

 though still quite common. S. variabilis can- 

 not be considered common.and of S. paucispi- 

 nis I have seen but a few specimens. 



Centrarchus maculosus. — Ayres. This spe- 

 cies is very common in our markets, where 

 it is sold under the name of Perch, as are 

 also several of the viviparous fishes. It is 

 brought from the waters of the Sacramento 

 and San Joaquin, and is one of our most es- 

 teemed tishes. The specimen from which 

 my description is taken is of about the av- 

 erage size : it is eight and three-quarters inch- 

 es in length. 



Form oval, compressed ; greatest height 

 two inches and nine-tenths, just behind the 

 pectorals. Back arched : forehead slightly 

 concave : length of the head, equal to the 

 height of the body. 



Scales large and firm, covering all parts ex- 

 cept the fins, the top of the head, the throat, 

 and the space anterior to the eyes. 



The posterior angle of the operculum is 

 rounded and furrowed, presenting the appear- 

 ance somewhat of a large scale : the edges 

 of the peroperculum, interopercnlum, subo- 

 perculum, scapular bone, and anterior subor- 

 bital are also finely denticulated. 



Lateral line nearly concurrent with the back: 

 number of scales in its course about foity- 

 two. 



Teeth fine, even, and crowded, in the lower 

 jaw. on the intermaxillaries, the vomer, pala- 

 tine bones and pharyngeals. 



The dorsal fin arises a very little posterior 

 to the opercular angle. The spinous portion 

 is two inches and one-fourth injength, arched, 

 highest at about the eighth ray (three-fourths 

 of an inch.) the first rays very short : the last 

 spinous ray seems to constitute rather a part 

 of the succeeding soft portion of the fin, and 

 is higher than the rays preceding it. The 

 soft part of the dorsal is rounded, one inch 

 and one-eighth in both length and height. 



The anal is coterminal with the dorsal. 

 The spinous portion is eight-tenths of an inch 

 in length, the spines increasing in length to 

 the last, which is nine-tenths of an inch high. 

 The sott part of the fin is an inch in length, 

 the height being a little greater. The spines 

 of both anal and dorsal are stout and strong, 

 those of the anal especially. 



'orals rounded, an inch and a half in 

 height. 



Ventrals fan-shaped, an inch and one-tenth 

 in height. 



Caudal slightly concave, an inch and three- 

 fourths high. 



D. 13-11 : A. 6-10 ; V. 1-5 ; P. 15 ; C. 16. 



Color, when dead, dark grayish brown on 

 the upper parts, becoming lighter beneath ; 

 with laige, irregular, dark blotches on the 

 sides, extending both above and below the 

 lateral line. The fins resemble in color the 

 part of the body 7 on which they are situated ; 

 the living fish I have not had an opportunity 

 of seeing. 



The only Centrarchus with which this need 

 be compared is the aeneus, L. S. The resem- 

 blance here is indeed close, and maculosus 

 may. without doubt, be considered the repre- 

 sentative in our Pacific region of aeneus in the 

 eastern. The California!! fish may be distin- 

 guished by the more archeil dorsal outline 

 (that of the forehead being on the contrary 

 concave.) by the greater Height of the spinous 

 portion of the dorsal fin as compared with the 

 soft rays of the same lin, by the difference in 

 position of the origin of the anal fin, by the 

 form of the opercular angle and by the colors. 



In one or two points this species fails to 

 comply with the definitions of the genus 

 Centrarchus as hitherto given. And we may 

 here remark that ourresearches have proceed- 

 ed far enough to show that a complete inves- 

 tigation of Califomian Ichthyology will prob- 

 ably result in numerous modifications of es- 

 tablished genera, extending, perhaps, the 

 limits of some, while those of others will be 

 narrowed. 



Committee on Botanical Garden, reported 

 unfavorably to the acceptance of the oirer of 

 Messrs. Chipman & Augenbaugh of four acres 

 of land in Alameda for Botanical Garden. 



After some remarks ad verse to the project 

 by Dr. W. P. Gibbons, Dr. Ayres, Mr. Sloat 

 and others, it was unanimously 



Resolved, That on account of the onerous 

 conditions exacted by Messrs. C. & A., their 

 offer be respectfully declined. 



California Academy of Natural Sciences. ) 

 San Francisco, September 2i>th. 1854. J 



Dr. H. Gibbons in the Chair. 



Mi. H. G. Bloomer reported progress on 

 the examination of the earth and paint pre- 

 sented by Mr. S. Woodworth at the last meet- 

 ing. He exhibited specimens of paints made 

 by himself, laid on wood and glass. Also 



