PERCI1XE. 515 



Length of head 3|, height of body in adult 3 in the total length. 

 Eyes diameter in the adult 4| in length of head, 1| from end of 

 snout, and more than 1 apart. Ventral margin of preopercle 

 finely serrated in adult, more coarsely in young, angle rounded, 

 posterior half of horizontal margin serrated. Fins dorsal spines 

 strong, alternately thicker on each side, the fourth the highest. 

 Second anal spine much stronger than the third, and equal 

 to the highest of the dorsal fin. Colour greyish, or slaty grey, 

 with a violet tinge on the head and a brassy one on the body ; 

 fins nearly black. A few irregular coppery spots on the body ; 

 fins, except the spinous dorsal, of a violet slate-colour, lightest 

 along their centres. In the youny the caudal is yellowish white. 



This fish appears to alter considerably with age. The height of 

 the body is at first equal to nearly half of the total length. 



Hob. Eed Sea, seas of India, the Malay Archipelago and beyond. 

 This fish attains two feet or more in length and is good eatiug. 



684. (2.) Diagramma lineatum. 



Perca lineata, Gmel. Syst. Nat p. 1319. 



Diagramma lineaturn, Day, Fish. India, p. 78, pi. xx, fig. o (see 

 synon.). 



B.vi. D.12-13/18-20. P.19. A. 3/7. L.I. 59. L.r.86/66. L.tr. 13/24. 



Length of head about 4, height of body from 3| to 3| in the 

 total length. Eyes diameter 3 to 3| in length of head, 1 fi-jin 

 end of snout, and nearly 1 apart. Vertical limb of preopercle 

 very slightly emarginate, its angle rounded, and the whole finely 

 and evenly serrated. Fins dorsal spines strong, every alternate 

 one broadest on one side, they increase in height to the fourth, the 

 last about one fifth shorter ; soft portion of the fin gradually in- 

 creasing in height, its middle third higher than the spiuous ; 

 second anal spine stronger and slightly longer than the third ; 

 caudal rounded or cut rather square. Colour yellowish white 

 above, becoming white on the sides and abdomen ; about six hori- 

 zontal chestnut-coloured bands, the upper wider than the ground- 

 colour, extend from the head along the body ; fins yellow, with 

 sometimes one or more dark blotches ; dorsal with a dark edge ; 

 three oblique bands occasionally broken up into blotches across 

 either caudal lobe ; a band along the middle of the anal fin. 



Variety (I), albovittatum). Silvery white above, yellowish white 

 below ; a dark chestnut median baud from the occiput to the dorsal 

 fin, continued along base of spines until it joins the second band, 

 which passes above the eye, and gradually increasing in width, 

 arrives at the soft dorsal, and terminates on the fin in a wedge- 

 shaped form ; the third band extends from the snout through the 

 eye, becomes the widest, and arriving at the centre of the base of 

 the tail is continued in a wedge-shape to the termination of the 

 fin. 



In some specimens a wide chestnut band covers the abdomen, 

 caving only a very narrow whitish interspace between it and the 



2L2 



