THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT 97 



observation disport themselves habitually under phases of colora- 

 tion which are apparently unrecorded in the standard works on 

 West Indian species. 



The accompanying photographs will temporarily serve to illus- 

 trate some of the aspects under which the fishes exhibit them- 

 selves, as far, at least, as can be done in mere black and white, 

 without the aid of colored plates, which are not yet available. 

 The only plate in color, that devoted to the red grouper, has been 

 hastily prepared b\- the artist, by tinting the photographs taken 

 from life. It has l^een reproduced by one of the cheaper proc- 

 esses, and is by no means as satisfactory a presentation of the 

 species as could have been secured by lithography. It shows, 

 however, two phases of color fairly well. 



The ordinary photographs were secured by transferring fishes 

 to a small portable tank, which could be carried into the sunlight. 

 This tank is about fifteen inches in length and the same in height, 

 l)ut only four inches wide. Its use involves considerable hand- 

 ling of the specimens, and all photographs made with it show 

 only those phases of color and markings which are peculiar to 

 frightened and hiding fishes. 



Photographs made in this way present but one, or, at best two 

 phases of color. There seem to be difiiculties in the way of pho- 

 tographing other phases, since they are displayed only when 

 the fishes are undisturbed, in the large exhibition tanks, which 

 are so large as to allow specimens to get out of focus. The\' are, 

 moreover, too dark to permit of instantaneous photography, and 

 the use of flashlight has not yet given satisfactory results, there 

 being a lack of detail. Mr. Spencer's photograph of the red par- 

 rot-fishes (plate 5, fig. 3) is a fairly satisfactory flashlight, 

 but the fishes were under some excitement and had sought the 

 bottom of the tank. One individual in the rear had taken on the 

 dark hiding colors, but the two large specimens in front were 

 caught in half-mottled guises. 



A study of the admirable photographs of West Indian fishes 

 by Mr. A. R. Dugmore, published in American Food and Came 

 FisJics, by Jordan and Evermann, shows that they are all pic- 

 tures of the fishes in wdiat may be called their hiding colors, and 

 are, I am authoritatively informed, the results of photography 

 with a small portable aquarium. 



The objection may be raised that the color phases here de- 

 scribed as habitual among fishes in the New York Aquarium are 

 merely the results of captivity, but this is not the case. Our 

 own photographic results from many of the same species are 



