30 



embodied in the English name I have ventured to apply to it, this 

 fish may at once be known from the other species of the family. The 

 sides are banded with numerous longitudinal stripes of purple, and 

 the head is adorned with various bluish marks. Like Embioioca 

 jacksoni, it is found both in San Francisco and Tomales Bays. It 

 attains very nearly as large a size as the former species, and it is 

 brought to our markets at all seasons of the year, though less abun- 

 dantly in the winter than in April and May. As in the last species, 

 the young differ in their coloration from the adult, being usually 

 lighter and more brightly colored, and this has been the cause of 

 the description of nominal species. 



Hypsurus Caryi, Agassiz, the Orange-banded Perch — This, one of 

 the most beautifully tinted of the family, is either not found in this 

 bay or is very rare there, as only occasional specimens occurred in 

 the markets during the winter months. Large quantities of this 

 species have been brought from Tomales and ilis vicinity during the 

 months of April and May ; it is not a large form, exceeding in this 

 respect the species of Hy]jerproso2:)on, but falling far behind either of 

 the previously mentioned kinds. The largest I have seen was not 

 more than twelve inches long, and the average length is about ten 

 inches. It may be at once recognized both by its coloration and by its 

 form. The species most nearly resembling it in color is Embiotoca 

 lateralis, but in the present species the blue streaks are mingled with 

 orange, which latter tint predominates upon the abdomen, the back 

 is richly bronzed ; the dorsal, caudal, and anal are irregularly banded 

 with orange and white ; the pectorals are of light golden ; there is a 

 black blotch on the anterior part of the anal, and the ventrals are tip- 

 ped with black. But the form of the body is still more distinctive. 

 The anal fin is formed of fewer rays than in the preceding species, and 

 these rays are crowded into a short space and directed horizontally 

 backwards, their base being directed upwards at an angle of about 

 60° from the horizontah The space between the ventrals and anal 

 is thus longer than in the other Embiotocidse, this, together with the 

 short, horizontally, directed anal, and the straight line formed by the 

 abdominal outline, give the fish a peculiar appearance. The teeth 

 are few, four to six in the upper and nine to twelve in the lower jaw. 

 All the examples I have seen in May were females with their ovaries 

 full of young. 



Phanerodon furcatus, Girard — Extremely abundant in the markets 

 during the summer and autumn, the supply coming from Tomales 

 Bay. This is one of the most uniformly colored of the Embiotocidie., 

 the prevailing tint being that of burnished silver. The older indi- 

 viduals are darker above, and the dorsal and caudal have a darker 

 margin. The dorsal spines increase in length to the last, which is 

 almost as long as the first ray ; the anal is long and low, and the 

 caudal peduncle narrow. Phanerodon furcatus seldom reaches a 

 length of more than twelve inches, and as it is a slender and rather 

 thin species, its weight seldom exceeds one pound. _ 



Damalichtliys vacca, Girard — In general form this species closely 

 resembles the thick-lipped perch, but may at once be distinguished 

 from it by the want of the thick lips. I first noticed its presence in 

 the markets in the month of February, and from that time to Octo- 

 ber it has been tolerably abundant. Most of those I have seen were 

 about a foot in total length and about four inches in width across 

 the body; but the species attains a weight of from three to four 



