THE MEDITERRANEAN APOGON. 119 



cheek and gill covers.* The dorsal fins are 

 separated, though by a less space than those of 

 the Mullets ; the first narrow, and with strong 

 spines. The others nearly resemble those of the 

 Perch, 



The foreign species seem mostly confined to 

 the Indian seas, and none have yet been found in 

 those belonging to America or Africa. A few 

 have been met with in the New Holland seas, 

 New Guinea, &c. particularly in the late voyages 

 under M. Frecynet Many of these fish are of 

 brilliant colours, principally red and yellow ; but 

 even the more sombre marked have some decided 

 contrast in dark coloured bands or spots, or in 

 some markings of the fins. They all appear to be 

 of small size ; the largest which is known being 

 only about seven inches in length. The Apogon 

 trimaculatus of Lesson and Garnot is of a golden 

 red, relieved by three black marks, placed on the 

 dorsal fins, and on the tail. Others, again, have 

 the dark markings in longitudinal stripes ; such is 

 the Apogon quadrifaciatus of a silvery red, with 

 two dark brown bands on each side of the back ; 

 another, from the Isle of Guam, is striped with 

 nine black bands, whence it has the name of 

 Apogon novemfaciatus. 



* This minute spotting is not represented in the copj 

 of our plate. 



