126 HISTORY OF THE FISHES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



SARGUS ovis, Cuv. 



The Sheep's-head. 



(PLATE X. FIG. 1.) 



Sparus ovis, Sheep's-head, MITCHILL, Trans. Lit. and Phil. Soc. of N. Y., i. p. 392, pi. 2, fig. 5. 



Le Sargue t&te-de-mouton (Sargus ovis, Cuv., Spams ovis, MITCH.), Cuv. et VAL., Hist. Nat. dcs Poiss , VI. p. 53. 



Sargus ovis, Slieep's-head, STOKER, Report, p. 36. 



" " " DEKAY, Report, p. 89, pi. 8, fig. 23. 



" " " ATBES, Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist., iv. p. 260. 



" " STOREK, Mem. Amer. Acad., New Series, n. p. 332. 



" " STORER, Synopsis, p. 80. 



Color. Light gray, with six quite distinct, dark-brown, transverse bands, broad and 

 nearly equidistant from each other ; another band across neck, over shoulders. Head 

 above darker ; orbits greenish ; gill-covers with silvery and golden reflections. Throat 

 somewhat reddish. Pupils black, irides golden. Scales throughout body margined 

 with darker than their centre. Fin membranes dark brown or black, save that of pecto- 

 rals, which is nearly colorless. 



Description. Body short, stout. Back rounded, slightly elliptical. Head hardly pro- 

 jecting, about one fourth the length of fish ; its depth about five sevenths its greatest 

 depth; its width between eyes about two fifths its length. Posterior and upper part of 

 head scaled, the rest naked. Lips large and fleshy ; jaws equal, armed in front with large, 

 stout, quadrangular teeth, the outer of which are somewhat curved inward ; these teeth 

 in the upper jaw slightly overlap those of the lower; within and behind these are several 

 rows of teeth, rounded or obtusely conical. Eyes large, their diameter nearly equal to 

 half the distance between them ; just above and in front of them the orbitar ridge is 

 quite prominent. Nostrils high up in head, anterior to eye, double, the posterior an elon- 

 gated slit opening backwards. Head anteriorly abounding in mucous pores. Posterior 

 opercular margin sinuous. Scales upon body generally very large, although in some 

 places their size is greatly diminished, as upon top of head, the throat, and the bases of all 

 the fins save the anterior three quarters of the dorsal. Lateral line commences high over 

 pectorals, and, curving upwards at first rather more than the line of body, gradually be- 

 comes parallel to it until it reaches a line with termination of dorsal and anal, whence it 

 runs straight to middle of caudal ; its scales present dark ramifications, which appear- 

 ance is also found upon the scales bordering a triangular space on top of head. 



The first twelve rays of dorsal fin are strongly spinous; of these the alternate rays are 

 much larger than their neighbors. The first five of these rays gradually increase in 

 length ; the remaining seven are about equal. The rest of the fin increases in height, 

 giving its termination a peculiar truncated appearance. Behind and beneath the base of 

 the fin, as well as at termination of anal, is a deep emargination. 



