246 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



Color, cross bands brown; abdomen and base of caudal bright yellow, each scale below lateral 

 line pale centered ; snout low and blunt; ventrals nol reaching front of anal; maxillary reaching below 

 vertical from front of orbit; pectorals reaching beyond tips of ventrals. 



This tish has a very characteristic manner of darting with the utmost rapidity from the shelter of 

 one stone to another and hiding there until danger is past; it can be seen in the open only as a yellow 

 and brown striped Hash. (T. ) 



136. Microspathodon chrysurus (Cuvier & Valenciennes). 



In coral heads, shoal water, clinging closely to rock crevices; one individual was ^-i-n almost daily 

 for over a month within a radius of a fathom from a certain nook in the coral. 



An example 5 inches long was very black brown; scales of cheek and body region, except by pec- 

 toral, lighter brown with darker borders, blending with body color; scales above lateral line some 

 with round sapphire spots, similar spots on nape, top of head, about eve and on scales of dorsal tins; 

 caudal pure bright orange yellow, upper and loner ray brown externally, posterior margin faintly 

 sooty; pectoral clear, rays black; ventral black. (T.) 



Young black, with many large sapphire spots on the back; dorsal, anal, and ventral black; caudal 



and pectoral colorless. 



Family LABRIDVE. 



137. Lachnolaimus maxirnus (Walbaum). 



Around coral heads. 



138. Thalassoma nitidum (Giinther). 



Lite color of an example L.2 inches long: Top of head, nape, back, and top of caudal peduncle dark 

 brown; a clear-cut white line from upper and posterior sector of eye to tip of peduncle, a trifle wider 

 than pupil; below this a broad clear brown line; below this pure white. 



As seen at night, iop area light brown; first line pale straw; broad band light brown; below 

 this band line pale spots, giving appearance of breaking band intosix; below white, pinkish; snout, 

 broad cheek band, area posterior to eye ami axil, carmine. 



Life color of an example 1.5 inches long: Head from base of first dorsal, gills and cheeks dull- 

 green blue; bod v dark yellowish olive green with 6 crossbar blotches, first 2 quite black, third, fourth, 

 and tilth lighter; sixth longer than the rest, extending from one-fourth inch forward of end of dorsal to 

 over caudal peduncle; beyond this dark areas extending over 4 scales, green inters] .aces over 1, 1J, or 2; 

 body color along back more brownish green; dorsal with a black spot extending over first three webs; 

 pectoral with a dark tip where it lies alongside and over second body blotch; third, fourth, fifth, and 

 sixth blotches ending on level of median line; first blotch reaching to axil, base of pectoral with a 

 crimson line where scales commence, this following a crimson blotch back of eye half as wide; a simi- 

 lar blotch on gill anterior to angle; body colors between first and second blotches decidedly bluish, 

 especially in middle line; base of caudal peduncle dark, dark extending along outer three rays to tip: 

 anal colorless, decidedly bluish scales at has •; ventral colorless; belly grayish blue. 



Usually seen alone, a very active fish, always apparently hastily searching for something, inspect- 

 ing many crevices and nooks and then darting away. New to Tinted States fauna. ( T. I 



139. Thalassoma bifasciatum (Bloch). 

 Occasional. New to the fauna of the United States. 



140. Halichceres radiatus (Linnaeus). 

 ( iccasional. 



141. Halichceres bivittatus (Bloch). 

 Frequent; variable. 



142. Halichceres maculipinna (Midler). 



This specimen differs from all descriptions in having a black spot at upper base of caudal, besides 

 the spot on the dorsal and the smaller ones at base of pectoral and last dorsal ray. 



143. Doratonotus megalepis Giinther. 



Seventeen specimens of various sizes, seined in the eel grass south and west of Garden Key. 

 These vary considerably in depth of body and height of dorsal spine. They agree well with Dorato- 



