FISHES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 119 



tion is drawn up from a specimen eleven inches in length. Its 

 width, at the commencement of the dorsal fin, three inches. 

 All the upper part of the body of a greenish brown color ; sides 

 lighter, mottled with indistinct bluish ocellations ; abdomen 

 whitish, serrated ; whole surface of the fish iridescent. A large 

 black blotch just back of the upper posterior portion of the 

 operculum. Length of the head three and a half inches. Gill- 

 cover very large, all its portions more or less golden. Oper- 

 culum marked with quite a number of deeply marked strias, 

 which commence just beneath a large green blotch, situated 

 some distance back of the eye on a line with it, and pass ob- 

 liquely backward and downward to its lower edge ; sub-oper- 

 culum and inter-operculum smooth ; preoperculum presents an 

 arborescent appearance of vessels upon its surface. Eyes mod- 

 erate in size ; pupils black ; irides golden. Gape of the mouth 

 very large ; lower jaw shorter than the upper ; the middle of 

 the upper jaw presenting a deep emargination. Back slightly 

 arched. 



The Dorsal fin arises upon the anterior half of the body ; it 

 is nearly as long again as high ; at its base is a membranous 

 prolongation, by which it is partially covered when at rest. 



The length of the Pectorals to their height is as 1 to 4 ; the 

 upper four rays much longer than the remainder. Outside of 

 the fin is an axillary plate more than two thirds the length of 

 the fish ; a broad scaly shield at the base of the pectorals cov- 

 ers more than an half inch of their inferior edge. 



The Ventrals commence on a line opposite the origin of the 

 dorsal fin ; on each side of them is an axillary plate. 



The Anal fin commences some distance back of the dorsal ; 

 its height to its length is as 1 to 3. 



The Caudal fin is deeply forked ; the depth of the fin at the 

 base, when unexpanded, to the length of the outer rays, is as 

 1 to 3 ; the distance between the expanded extremities equal 

 to the length of the outer rays. 



The fin rays are : D. 19 ; P. 15 ; V. 7 ; A. 20 ; C. 27. 



