THIRTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT IQI 



well a> in the adult specimens, and the heavily scaled parrot- 

 tishes change as readily as the more lightly scaled red hinds or 

 groupers. 



During the latter part of February, 1909, I had the oppor- 

 tunity of seeing the fine collection of fishes living in the Ber- 

 muda Aquarium, where many of the tanks are as large as those 

 in the Xew York Aquarium. Observations on the colors of 

 fishes made in Bermuda served to confirm in general those made 

 in New York, but the results were not always the same, due, 

 perhaps, to the fact that none of the tanks were supplied with 

 white sand bottoms or rockwork linings. Some additional phases, 

 however, were noted. 



The colors and markings are, to some degree, determined by 

 the position of the fishes in the tank. When swimming in mid- 

 tank the fishes are likely to have colors quite different from those 

 assumed when resting against a dark background, while those 

 displayed when at rest upon a bottom of white sand or gravel 

 may differ froni both. 



In the follow^ing notes I have frequently referred to the colored 

 plates published in The Fishes of Porto Rico/"' by Evermann and 

 Marsh. In reply to my letter of inquiry respecting the methods 

 used by the artists, Messrs Hudson and Baldwin, in making the 

 original paintings for these plates, Dr. Evermann writes: "Mr. 

 Baldwin's work was done without an aquarium. Fresh, fre- 

 quently living, specimens were put in his hands and he worked 

 on them as rapidly as possible to get the colors before material 

 change took place. 



"The paintings by Mr. Hudson were all made in Key West. 

 The fishes were kept in a small portable aquarium. He was able 

 to get specimens readily from the live-wells of the fishermen's 

 boats. 



"The Hawaiian paintingsf (about which I had also inquired) 

 were made from live fishes kept in portable aquariums. 

 The S'amoant fishes wxre painted from alcoholic specimens care- 

 fully preserved, color sketches being made from life at the time 

 the fishes were collected.'' 



Dr. Evermann's information as to the methods employed is im- 

 portant in connection with the observations recorded in the pre- 

 sent paper, as it enables us to define the particular phases of color 

 in each species which the plates show. 



* Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission 1900. 

 t Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission, 1903. 

 t Bulletin of the U. S. Fish Commission, 1905. 



